Alumnus of the Year

Barry Matson

Barry Matson, 2024 Alumnus of the Year, is an accomplished Alabama attorney who has served as Executive Director of the Alabama District Attorney’s Association, Alabama Office of Prosecution Services, National Computer Forensic Institute, and the Alabama District Attorneys Foundation.  Mr. Matson’s office administered cutting edge programs that fought domestic violence, impaired driving, crimes involving digital evidence, crimes against women and children, as well as training and certifying victim services professionals.  He is a career advocate for justice with more than 34 years of litigation experience in the courtroom as well as a teacher, legislative advocate and policy maker with an intense focus on protecting citizens by spearheading the passage of important legislation such as Alabama’s national model Computer Crimes Act, Protection Against Online Solicitation of Children Act, Human Trafficking Act, Safe Harbor Act protecting juvenile victims of Human Trafficking, and many others.

 In 2010 and 2012, Mr. Matson was invited to present testimony before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee and subcommittees concerning the nature of computer forensics and dangers of child pornography, abuse and exploitation of women and children, as well as the 2009 National Academy of Sciences report’s impact upon forensic sciences. 

Mr. Matson was one of three people that originally envisioned and proposed federal funding and state partnerships to create the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI).  This one-of-a-kind national facility is dedicated to training state and local law enforcement, judges and prosecutors in digital computer forensics, network intrusions, social media, cell phone forensics, vehicle black box forensics, data skimming, constitutional law, court procedure and evidence admissibility.  Every high-profile case and ordinary criminal investigation and prosecution across the United States have been impacted by the NCFI and its efforts.

Under Mr. Matson’s directorship, the OPS team created the first ever statewide program utilizing highly trained dogs to assist and comfort vulnerable victims.  Several states, as well as Australia, have visited Alabama to learn about this HERO program.

Matson is a proud and grateful alumnus of Jacksonville State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Birmingham School of Law, Juris Doctorate, National College of District Attorneys, Houston Texas, National Institute of Trial Advocacy, Denver Colorado, American Prosecutor Research Institute, Charlottesville Virginia, and the Drug Enforcement Agency, Opioid Diversion Training, Quantico Virginia.

Mr. Matson met his wife, Amy, while they were students at Jax State and have been married for 37 years.  He is an amateur historian, avid reader and book collector.