Meet the Leaders of the John & Janice Wyatt Foundation
Board of Directors
John L. Wyatt Founder and President
John is a serial entrepreneur in software and technology companies, now dedicating his time to finding and implementing innovative solutions to improving equality of opportunity through education and social programs. To this end, John and his wife, Jan, founded the John & Janice Wyatt Foundation in 2018.
Prior to establishing the Foundation, John served as the Vice President of Synopsis, Inc in 2017, and led Cigital, Inc as the Chairman and CEO for many years. A 25-year veteran of the technology consulting industry, John has an impressive track record of maximizing profit performance and technology innovation. He continued the company's thought leadership, expanded the company's offerings, and attracted new talent.
John's career includes a string of successes going back to the late 1980s and early 1990s as CEO of James Martin & Co. There, he transformed the company from a boutique methods consulting firm in North America to an innovative global solutions company in 18 countries with 800 staff and revenue of $100M. In the early 2000’s, John was the CEO of Ariel Research Corp., a services firm dedicated to safe and responsible handling, manufacturing and transporting of chemicals throughout the world. He led the creation of the e-business software division for MicroStrategy and was CEO of OneSoft.
John earned his degree in Economics, Statistics, and Operational Research in 1975 from the University of New England (AU) in New South Wales, Australia. John is originally from Australia and now spends time in Fairfax, Virginia and Cambridge, Maryland. He lives with his wife, Jan, and is the proud father of three children.
Janice L. Hilmoe-Wyatt Founder and Vice-President
Janice raised three children who attended K-12 in the Fairfax County, Virginia public school system. All three kids have since gone on to attend a combination of public and private colleges. As a result, she has a deep appreciation of the issues and challenges a parent faces in successfully navigating children through the school system.
As an extensive and regular volunteer from elementary school through high school, Janice has developed a strong understanding of school operations and of the many complex issues that impact both the children and schools. She has a no-nonsense, down to earth outlook on these issues and is particularly insightful about the likely success of solutions and current best practices.
Prior to raising a family, Jan had extensive experience in sales and operations support activities. The partnership she and John share has strengthened their own – and other families’ – ties to one another and to community. She is inspired by the role she sees the John and Janice Wyatt Foundation playing in linking student development to individual success, family cohesion, and community resilience.
Staff
Matthew T. Peterson Executive Director
Matt currently serves as the executive director of the John & Janice Wyatt Foundation (J2W). J2W is a grantmaking, private operating family foundation focused on improving early childhood outcomes for communities in need. Prior to J2W, Matt was the executive director for Blue Ridge Habitat for Humanity in the northern Shenandoah Valley (Virginia) from 2016-2019. Over his four years with Habitat, Matt was responsible for the large-scale growth of services and reach within the region.
Before Habitat, Matt served as the Deputy to the President & CEO, as well as the Senior Manager for Volunteer Operations, at Project HOPE from 2007-2015. As a key member of the senior leadership team, Matt was responsible for broadening the impact of leadership in the execution of the organization’s mission and strategic plan; and he
managed the global volunteer and international disaster response program.
Prior to Project HOPE, Matt served as an active duty medical operations officer in the US Army from 1995 to 2004. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology (pre-med) from the University of Miami, FL in 1994 and his master’s degree in International Affairs from the Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul, Republic of Korea in 2006. He also holds a Certificate in Project Management from Cornell University, a Certificate in High Impact Philanthropy (CHIP) from the University of Pennsylvania, and a certificate of completion from Stanford University’s Education for Philanthropy Professionals program. In 2024, Matt was inducted as an honored listee with Marquis Who’s Who of America.
Matt was born in West Berlin, Germany in 1972 and grew up in Tallahassee, Florida. He currently lives in Boyce, VA with his wife, Anne, and two children.
Charlene Jones Director of Programs
Committed to serving the community, Charlene has over 30 years of experience in human services. Prior to joining the Foundation, she served as the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Prevention Services Supervisor, MidShore Opioid Misuse Prevention Program Leadership Team, the Youth Action Council Advisor at the Dorchester County Health Department. She was charged with coordinating community efforts to decrease underage substance use, binge drinking and opioid misuse and accidental overdose. Before coming to Maryland, her passion for working with youth and families led her to Northern Educational Services as the Health Educator and Teen Advisor and program coordinator at the South End Community Center, managing two Center locations, in Springfield, MA.
She began her service in Maryland at the Dorchester County Family Support Early Head Start program as a Family Advocate, Service Coordinator for the Dorchester County Public School Judy Center and Executive Director at New Beginnings Youth and Family Services. As the service coordinator she worked closely with the director to assist daycare providers in obtaining high quality standards of care. She also assisted with the Judy Center, Pre-k, and Kindergarten programs in the Sandy Hill School District and the Jack and Jill Early Learning Center to obtain Maryland State Department of Education Accreditation and Validation. Charlene received her Bachelor of Arts in Human Services at Sojourner Douglass College and her Master of Arts in Human Service-Marriage and Family Therapy from Liberty University. She and her husband Ollie, of 25 years, are blessed with 2 beautiful children. Charlene resides in Hurlock, MD.