Matt Brancato is the Co-Founder and president for Holbrook Farms Retreat. He is currently serving as a pilot in the Air National Guard in Memphis, TN, after completing school at The National Defense University in Washington, D.C. He grew up in Aurora, IL before attending the Air Force Academy in 1995, where he studied General Engineering. After graduating college in 1999, he served on Active Duty at Aviano AB, Italy; Laughlin AFB, TX; Charleston, SC; and at the Air Force Academy as an instructor. He joined the North Dakota Air National Guard in 2008, where he and his wife, Micaela, landed in Detroit Lakes, MN. After purchasing the Holbrook Farms Retreat property in Detroit Lakes in 2010, the vision for hosting retreats for military survivors began in 2011 after military-related fatalities of friends. In 2014-2016, Matt was assigned to Andrews AFB, MD, then moved to California for a command assignment in 2017-2019.