Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Lopez D. Matthews, Jr. earned his B.S. in history from Coppin State University in 2004, a Masters degree in Public History in 2006 and his PhD in United States History from Howard University in 2009. Matthews has been an Archives Technician at the National Archives, an Archivist in the Howard University Archives and the Manager of the Digital Production Center and Digital Production Librarian for the Howard University Libraries and the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. Currently, he is the State Archivist and Public Records Administrator for the District of Columbia.