Matthew McKinney was appointed Director of the Public Policy Research Institute in 2003. Prior to this current position, Matthew served as the founding director of the Montana Consensus Council for 10 years. During the past 18 years, he has designed, facilitated, mediated, directed, and evaluated nearly 50 multi-party public processes addresses issues related to federal land management, water policy, fish and wildlife, land use planning and growth management, public health and human services, and a variety of other public issues.

Mr. McKinney received a Ph.D. in Natural Resource Policy and Conflict Resolution from The University of Michigan. He has published numerous articles in journals and books, and teaches workshops, seminars, and courses on natural resource policy and public dispute resolution. He is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Montana's School of Law; a faculty associate at the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; and a partner with the Consensus Building Institute. Matthew was a research fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in 2000 and 2002. He lives with his wife and three daughters in Helena, Montana.