Dr. Matt Ricke (he/him/his) joined the Office of Institutional Equity as a Title IX Investigator in February 2018. In June 2018, Matt was promoted to his current role of Assistant Director/Title IX Coordinator. In this role, Matt manages the University’s Title IX compliance portfolio, ensuring effective, timely, and consistent investigations of reported incidents of sex discrimination, including incidents of sexual harassment, sexual violence, relationship violence, and stalking. Matt supervises UCF’s Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Dr. Abigail Malick, as well as the Title IX investigative team, Amber Abud, Lauren Wallace, and Kristy Beitler.
Matt started his career in higher education in 2003. Most recently, Matt served as the Director of Student Success at Front Range Community College (Fort Collins, CO) where he coordinated student care services, student conduct, and counseling services. Matt chaired the behavioral intervention and threat assessment team FRCC. Prior to his appointment at FRCC, Matt worked at Naropa University (Boulder, CO) as Director of Student Life and eventually Interim Dean of Students. Matt established the Title IX compliance program at Naropa and served as its first coordinator. Matt facilitated the design and implementation of policies and procedures, selected and trained volunteer Title IX investigators, and conducted thorough, impartial investigations into sexual misconduct allegations. In addition to his administrative work, Matt has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in topics such as sociology of diversity, contemporary social problems, campus environments and student cultures, and mental health and accessibility in law enforcement. Matt has served as the co-chair of the Gender and Sexuality Knowledge Community with the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) as well as a faculty member for the NASPA Community Colleges Symposium. He served as a volunteer trainer with the Colorado Anti-Violence Program for four years, where he helped nonprofit agencies and law enforcement officers better understand violence within and against members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Matt holds a B.A., cum laude, in Spanish from Western Michigan University, a M.S. in Experiential Education from Minnesota State University, Mankato, and a Ph.D. in Higher Education and Student Affairs Leadership from the University of Northern Colorado. As a scholar, Matt’s research interests include higher education crisis management, equity and inclusion, organizational learning, and personal meaning-making. Matt has additional training in investigative interviewing, mediation, restorative justice, mental health first aid, and trauma-informed practice, and is qualified as an MBTI practitioner and Strengths educator. Matt is an active presenter on Title IX, gender equity, and social justice at various regional/national conferences.
