Matthew Debardelaben - 4th District
KTA Representative
1418 Cornelia St #2
Knoxville, TN 37917
865-809-8480
[email protected]
Term ends: December 2029


Matthew Debardelaben was elected to represent the 4th District on Knoxville City Council on November 4, 2025.

He is the current City Council representative on the Knoxville Transportation Authority Board.

Matthew made Knoxville and East Tennessee his home in 2011. He is a Commercial Real Estate Broker with a focus on adaptive reuse and strengthening neighborhoods.

He is a PechaKucha Knoxville curator and founder of the Square on the Square, square dances. He is also an activist with the American Institute of Architects. He formerly served as Board Chair of the Downtown Knoxville Alliance, as well as on the City of Knoxville Design Review Board.

Matthew has a BA in Asian Studies and a Masters in Divinity (MDiv). 

Before making Knoxville his home, Matthew lived in Miami, Alabama, Seattle, Chicago, Nashville, Historic Strawberry Plains, and six years in Shanghai, China. Each of these places shaped his views on urbanism and rurality, community and diversity, housing, transportation, and our public spaces. 

He is the father of four sons and lives in the historic Old North neighborhood.