Mathieu Koontz joined SBWIB in September of 2021. He is the AmeriCorps Program Coordinator and oversees all community service projects for SBWIB YouthBuild. Hailing from Inglewood, CA, Mathieu has been working in education and nonprofit since 2014, which is the same year he received his Bachelor's degree in Public Relations at the University of La Verne. Prior to joining SBWIB, Mathieu has served as an AmeriCorps Member for City Year, The LA Promise Fund, and LA’s Best, respectively working as an after-school program coordinator for each organization. Additionally, he has a background in working in homeless services for LAHSA as a Site Coordinator and assisted in housing individuals experiencing homelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mathieu finds his “why” in the work he does within a quote by late-rapper/visionary Nipsey Hussle: “The highest human act is to inspire.” This serves as a reminder for Mathieu that all it takes for certain people to become great is to give them inspiration. He believes that where there is no vision the people perish mentally, so if he can use his servitude for youth in his hometown to be inspired, his efforts would become a catalyst to spark revolutionary change inside of the youth that he serves.