As the 2015 election season starts to ramp up to its ultimate conclusion, we reached out to a Theta Chi alumnus who is currently serving in the Texas House of Representatives to get his thoughts on getting involved in politics and how Theta Chi helped him along the way.
On January 13, 2015, Matt Rinaldi (Eta Kappa/James Madison 1996) assumed office as the Representative for District 115 located in the northwest portion of Dallas County. He currently serves on the Agriculture & Livestock committee and the Business & Industry committee.
While an undergraduate, Matt was a Rechartering Member for Eta Kappa, helping to bring the colony to reinstallation on November 18, 1995. As a sophomore, he received national attention for his successful efforts to have the Pledge of Allegiance recited prior to the start of Student Government Association meetings.
After graduating from JMU, Rinaldi earned his law degree from Boston University in 2001. He relocated to Texas and became involved in the local community and began his journey as an elected statesman.
In 2010, Rinaldi had an unsuccessful attempt as he ran as the Republican candidate for judge of Texas District 191 Court. In 2012, he ran a challenge to the incumbent in the primary campaign for District 115 in the Texas House of Representatives, but was narrowly defeated. Strengthening his resolve, Rinaldi regrouped and ran a successful challenge against the same incumbent during the primary election in 2014 and handily won his seat in the November 2014 general election.
Brother Rinaldi is currently a commercial litigation attorney and a strong advocate of tort reform. He also serves on the board of directors of a publicly-traded real estate investment trust in the hotel and hospitality industry. A strong believe in giving back and serving others, Brother Rinaldi represented under‐privileged families in the “Adoption Saturday” project, a program developed to speed the adoption of abused and neglected children in Dallas County. He is also member of the Knights of Columbus and an alumnus of Leadership Irving/Las Colinas.
Since he is in the middle of his term and not on the active-campaign trail, we were grateful to catch up to Brother Rinaldi for a quick interview to gain some insight.
Q: Any memories you’d like to share from your time in Eta Kappa Chapter at JMU?
Matt Rinaldi: I will always remember the day that our chapter was reinstalled. Everything we worked for came to fruition. It was a great weekend and we saw all of our hard work payoff. I also have memories of the camaraderie formed during our hiking trips in the mountains. There were great brothers in our group – they were a group you could count on.
Q: Why did you get into politics?
MR: I wanted to make a difference and to serve. Life’s about more than making money. I want to do my part to protect liberty.
Q: What do you want to accomplish in Austin?
MR: In short: Limited government and fiscal responsibility. I want to shrink the size of government and work to protect the liberty of Texans.
Q: How did Theta Chi assist and prepare you for your service as a State Representative?
MR: Theta Chi taught me responsibility. I was Rush Chairman during my freshman year (when we were a colony) and was also social chair and I served as Marshal for one year. From these positions (and other aspects of the Fraternity), I learned how to deal with people and personalities. A big thing was learning how to bring people from diverse groups and backgrounds together.
Q: Any advice for other Theta Chi members who want to get into politics?
MR: Just do it – Even if you fail – just do it. You’ll meet more people and learn more than just being on the sideline as an observer. Most importantly, don’t give up – be persistent. This (2014) was the third time that I had run and all odds were against me and I was outspent 10 to 1…you haven’t really lived until you’ve seen an incumbent spend $1 Million on ads for a primary election - - - and yet you still manage to win.
When I think about public service, I try to live out our motto of extending a “Helping Hand”. I was really proud when I heard that one of my fellow [Eta Kappa Rechartering Member] Ty Cobb (1997) had served as a state representative in Nevada a few years ago. I’m glad to keep this Eta Kappa tradition going!
[Editor’s Note: Ty Cobb served as an Assemblyman in the Nevada legislature from 2007-2009. Another Eta Kappa alumnus, Marvin K. “Kirk” Cox (1979) is also serving as a state representative. Since 1990, Brother Cox has served in the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 66th District (the southern Richmond suburb of Colonial Heights and also parts of Chesterfield County). He was House Majority whip (2004-2010) and has been the House Majority Leaders since 2010.]
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Thank you, Brother Rinaldi, for your time and for your commitment to serving God, Country, and fellow-man!