ABOUT

Dr. Matthew Wilburn King

Author. Speaker. Explorer.

Curriculum Vitae

Insight into action—for people, planet, and peace.

I’m Dr. Matthew Wilburn King—an author, speaker, and explorer whose work centers on people, the planet, and peace.

As the founder and CEO of Our COMMON Foundation, I work with social entrepreneurs, artists, and conservationists committed to making a positive social and environmental impact.

I’ve traveled to every continent except Antarctica, completed learning expeditions in more than 45 countries, lived in five, and studied in four—earning my Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge.

As a Marshall Memorial Fellow with the German Marshall Fund, I support transatlantic cooperation on regional and global challenges through public diplomacy and the spirit of the Marshall Plan.

My journey has taken me across oceans and mountains—from diving in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans to trekking the Rockies, Andes, and beyond. But my most meaningful journey has been from head to heart.

Andes, Peru, South America 2019

In 2012, I faced a rare, aggressive cancer with less than a 15% chance of survival. That experience became my greatest teacher, revealing my true purpose: to create, inspire, and empower.

Today, I channel that energy into leading Our COMMON Foundation, writing fiction and nonfiction, creating art, and advising mission-driven work. I also manage a portfolio of properties and investments.

I thrive on teaching, mentoring, and learning from the energy of youth, peers, and professionals working toward meaningful change. I’m committed to raising awareness of our shared place in the cosmos—our connection to all life—and our responsibility to protect it.

Over the years, I’ve collaborated with governments, universities, nonprofits, think tanks, and businesses worldwide. My written and spoken work has been featured by BBC Future, Earth Island Journal, Mongabay, Journal of Biological Conservation, World Watch Institute, Marine Policy Journal, Euronews, NBC Universal, affiliates of ABC and CBS, TEDx, and podcasts.

I’m a former U.S. Presidential Management Fellow, Bronze Medal for distinguished federal service from the U.S. Department of Commerce, a Kinship Conservation Fellow, and a founding member of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association. I have also served as a Fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society and a Postgraduate Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.