About Matthew Barraza

Matthew Barraza was selected by the Utah Indigent Defense Commission to be its Executive Director in October of 2021.  He and his dedicated staff advocate for and support public defenders and their clients throughout the state.  As the Executive Director, he works with state and local governments to ensure that public defenders have access to the training and resources they need to zealously protect their clients’ rights as mandated by the Constitution.

Prior to joining the IDC, Matt worked for 15 years as a public defender at Salt Lake Legal Defenders Association, where he was a supervising attorney, spent several years as a Drug Court team member, and was lead counsel on Death Penalty Cases.

Matt earned his J.D. at the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, and his Bachelor of Science in Botany from Weber State University.