Matt GileMatt Gile

Matt is a school librarian, labor activist, and proud progressive. He is runningfor state rep to represent working class people in their struggle to live a thriving, meaningful life. He’s been a part of the Winooski community for a decade and he wants to spend the rest of his life here. As your state rep, he promises to work hard every day to ensure that everyone is safe, supported, and able to live their best life.

Matt grew up in Colchester and has been working for libraries his whole life. Everyone is welcome in a library and he believes that spirit should extend across our state. Matt is the Librarian at Winooski School District, a position he’s held for 10 years, where he serves all students from preschool to 12th grade. Before that, he worked as a library assistant for Colchester High School, his alma mater. While attending UVM, he was a clerk at the Burnham Library and drove the bookmobile in the summer.  He love libraries so much that he married a librarian… in a library! Matt’s wife Shannon is the librarian for Milton High School and they were married in the Bixby Library in Vergennes.

Matt is an active member of his union, the Winooski Education Association (WEA), where he has served as President and Building Representative. Currently, he is the Community Action Chair and they’re working to build labor power through educational events for union members like the People’s Summit. They also mobilize mass demonstrations such as the May Day Strong Rally that marched on the ICE data facility in Williston, and the 2025 Labor Day Rally in Burlington. He is the Labor Advisor to the Coordinating Committee for the Vermont Progressive Party. For twelve years he’s served as the Communication Chair of the VT School Library Association, and he hosts the Storytime Jam at our annual conference every year.

Matt was a founding member of the Central Vermont Democratic Socialists of America — now Green Mountain DSA (GMDSA) — and he’s an active member of our Labor Committee. He is a proud member of GMDSA because he believes that we are all entitled to an equal say in how the world works. A world where billionaires dictate the conditions we work and live under — and wield the levers of our government’s power — is a world that can never be just. Socialism is a commitment to the principle that we are all entitled to equal power to shape our society, and the belief that with power, we will choose care and love over domination and exploitation.

Matt loves the beauty of Vermont, and he feels most alive when he’s out exploring our woods. He’s run the Chill Snowboarding program in Winooski for the past 6 years and he’s had the privilege to join the Winooski Wanders (led by students!) on many outings. Currently Matt serves on the board of the Bolton Outdoor Adventure Fund, whose mission is to give underrepresented kids the opportunity to explore the outdoors. Previously he served on the board for the Waterbury Area Trail Alliance, a chapter of the Vermont Mountain Biking Association. They built and maintained trails for a healthy, vibrant, and sustainable future.

Endorsed by DSA