Matt Goff is Transmission Vegetation Manager for the Forestry & Right of Way Services team at Georgia Power Company. He lives in Brookhaven, GA with his wife, two daughters, and the family’s two dogs. For leisure, he enjoys sports with his family, bird hunting with the family dogs, and salt-water fishing.

Matt holds a BSFR from the University of Georgia, Warnell School of Forestry, in Forest Resource Management. He has worked in the vegetation management industry for 28 years. He worked 6 years in the timber products industry as a Timber Procurement Forester and has 22 years in the utility vegetation management industry with Georgia Power.

Matt holds the following professional credentials/qualifications:

• Past President of Utility Arborist Association (2024-25)

• Certified Utility Vegetation Management Professional, Utility Arborist Association

• State of Georgia Registered Forester

• State of Georgia Registered Pesticide Applicator

• International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist

• International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Utility Specialist

• International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) TRAQ Credential

• North American Transmission Forum, Vegetation Management Core Team Member

Keynote address: She’ll Be Right! 

“Asset‑manage the living network”  

This keynote challenges the long‑held view of vegetation management as routine maintenance and reframes it as a strategic asset management that is essential to reliability improvement and risk reduction. It illustrates how forestry‑based insights, modern technology, and Integrated Vegetation Management enable smarter, data‑driven, risk‑focused decisions that elevate performance. It shows how evolving KPIs and stronger, evidence‑based business cases can drive better investment and improved outcomes across infrastructure networks. Ultimately, it positions this asset management approach as having the power to transform system resilience. 

Building Biological Barriers Through IVM​

Discover how one electric utility is transforming transmission right‑of‑way management by using selective herbicide strategies to build natural, self‑sustaining plant communities. This innovative approach reduces tree‑related risk, boosts native habitat health, and cuts long‑term maintenance needs. Real‑world data from 2020–2023 shows selective chemistry outperforms broad‑spectrum treatments in both reliability and ecological benefit. Join us to learn how biological barriers can reshape utility vegetation management for a more resilient grid.