Matt LaVita

Matt LaVita is a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, growing up just north of Boston. He has served in the Massachusetts National Guard as a commissioned officer and began his working life as a public school teacher at the Higgins Middle School in Peabody, Massachusetts. Most recently, he has been a twenty-year veteran Trooper of the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) serving as a sworn state police officer since December 2000. While serving as a Trooper, he had the unique opportunity to become a member of the Massachusetts State Police Firearms Training Unit (FTU).  In September of 2004, he was tasked with and accepted the role of Director of the FTU at the Massachusetts State Police Academy. In this role, he was highly successful in overseeing all unit operations, as well as administering recruit level training, in-service training programs for department personnel, and advanced firearms training to officers serving in specialized units. As Director, he was also responsible for the oversight and administration of a six-million-dollar training facility, which included a state-of-the-art firearms training complex comprised of two large ranges, several outbuildings, and the attendant grounds.