Matthew Bombardier
36 | Deputy Director, Advanced Module Engineering, GlobalFoundries
Residence: Chittenden
Career highlight you are most proud of:
The career highlights I’m most proud of are the awards and recognition I have received in the last three years. I was awarded GlobalFoundries (GF) CEO Awards for Fab 9 Excellence in 2022 for breaking through historical paradigms of work content and Manager Excellence in 2024 for inspirational leadership and significant contributions to GF. In 2023, I was awarded a Fab 9 Community Engagement Team Excellence Award for my dedication to STEM growth in our community. 
Lastly, in 2024, I received personal thanks from Senator Patrick Leahy while wrapping up a volunteer event at ECHO Leahy Center during the solar eclipse for my dedication to STEM and our community.
Community Involvement:
My community involvement is centered around STEM engagement and learning in our K-12 community operating under a mission statement of “Empower an inclusive future STEM workforce by long-term engagement with K-12 students through consistent, diverse and engaging activities that build a ‘See One – Be One’ mentality.” 
I lead a group of 75 like-minded volunteers, driving over 2,000 volunteer hours on an annual basis through external partnerships with ECHO Leahy Center, FIRST in VT, Vermont Works for Women, and Essex CHIPS. In addition, we drive STEM education and learning into our communities through library partnerships, speaking at career fairs, and bring students on-site to learn about GF and showing all of them what their opportunities are straight out of high school, or when they finish their higher-level education.
What motivated you to live and work in Vermont?
As a born and raised Vermonter, there is no place I would rather live and raise my son with my wife. I was motivated to live and work in Vermont by our community, opportunity, and access to all the great natural resources.
Favorite part of your job:
My favorite part of my job is that I have the opportunity to shape what’s essential every day. From solving problems with my team and embracing challenges to creating opportunities for my team to grow, and continuously learning, it is incredibly rewarding to be a key team member at a company that is changing the industry that is changing the world.
Most inspiring mentor and why:
I have had a lot of inspiring mentors and people I have worked with in my career at GF. My most inspiring mentor is someone who not only has provided guidance during my career, but also instilled the importance of STEM education in our community. That person is my mother, Janette Bombardier.
What is the best career advice you have received?
The best career advice I have received is to not spend time spinning your wheels, which goes hand in hand with the fact that it is okay not to know and ask for help. If you feel like you are spinning your wheels, you are not making progress to your goals and you are likely not delivering to your fullest potential to the business.
Tell us something fun about yourself that few people know:
Few people know that when I was at Union College, a sculpture I had made was featured in the college’s annual Steinmetz Symposium. While hundreds of students participate, it always comes as a surprise that my participation was arts related, versus around my degree in Mechanical Engineering.
What three words best describe you:
Three words that best describe me are driven, empathetic, and humble.
Favorite Vermont escape:
My favorite Vermont escape is Lake Champlain. Sitting on the shores or being on the water always allows me to relax.
Favorite Vermont season:
My favorite Vermont season is fall. It has core memories for me growing up playing soccer that has turned into a time for core memories with my son watching him play soccer for the first time, going apple picking, and taking tractor rides to a pumpkin patch.
Favorite downtime activity:
My favorite downtime activity these days is snuggling on the couch with my son watching cartoons in the morning and enjoying a slow cup of coffee.
Favorite Social Media and why:
My favorite social media is Facebook. A lot of my friends growing up in Vermont and those who I went to college with, and my family across the country share photos of their families and things they are doing. So, while we don’t talk often, I still have the opportunity to see how life is going for them.
What is your favorite smell?
My favorite smell is the morning air during fall in Vermont. The crisp morning air unlocks all of the memories made and being made every year.
Person you would most like to share a Vermont beverage with:
The person I’d most like to share a Vermont beverage with is my maternal grandfather as he is the only grandparent that was not able to see me grow through college. He passed when I was 6 years old, and I always remember the connection and memories I made with him during our visits to South Carolina.
If you had unlimited access to funds, which cause(s) would you support:
The causes I would support drive instrumental support for our community. I would support FIRST in VT and ECHO Leahy Center, enabling statewide STEM outreach and student development, as well as Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, which provides a year-round camp for children with cancer.
What one song is on your playlist that are you embarrassed to tell your best friend:
While I do not maintain any playlists, I have routinely found myself listening to Kidz Bop on XM after dropping my son off at daycare, enjoying it, and not changing the station.
Where do you see yourself professionally in the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5-10 years I see myself in a director level position and part of the executive team at GF.
What career goal(s) would you like to accomplish in the next 5-10 years?
The career goals I’d like to accomplish in the next 5-10 years are mentoring new leaders for our STEM outreach team and successfully transforming Fab 9 through implementation of CHIPS and Science Act funding.
