Matt Compton was born and raised on a farm in Cedar Grove, NC, where he is a member of Walnut Grove United Methodist Church.

Currently, he is an assistant editor for the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) and Democratic Leadership Council (DLC). PPI is a nonpartisan think tank, devoted to crafting national policy for public innovation, and the DLC is an organization working to modernize progressive politics in America.

As an editor, he works with writers and researchers to design and produce policy reports for both organizations. He is also a creator and producer of the DLC Podcast -- a radio-type show broadcast over the Internet.

Compton worked for the North Carolina Democratic Party during the 2004 election as a member of the House Caucus campaign committee. He graduated with a degree in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at Carolina, he wrote a column focused on higher education policy and the University for The Daily Tar Heel and was a student advisor to the chancellor and Board of Trustees.