Member Profile - Matt Forgit, OD
Name
Matt Forgit
Where do you currently practice?
Crookston and Fosston, MN
Where are you from originally?
Grew up on a small farm near Fertile, MN
What school did you graduate from (undergraduate and optometry)?
Concordia College and Pacific University College of Optometry
What are your hobbies?
My primary hobby is training, hunting, and field trialing pointing dogs. I am fortunate to have an active outdoor oriented family and we also enjoy cycling, nordic skiing, fishing and camping.
Describe your local community involvement?
I'm currently a member of the Villa St. Vincent (Benedictine Health System facility) advisory board and a director on the Fertile-Beltrami Education Foundation board. My wife and I lead and help coach our local chapter of the Minnesota Youth Ski League nordic ski club and I am an assistant coach on the Fertile-Beltrami school trap shooting team.
Tell us about your family and pets?
My wife, Merrilee, is a special education teacher at Fertile-Beltrami public school district. We have three children; Olivia, a high school junior, Peter, a 7th grader, and Patrick, a second grader. We currently have six dogs; a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, yellow lab, three English setters and an English pointer. We also have three cats and a half-dozen chickens. We obviously live in the country to have this menagerie and yes, our home is often rather chaotic.
Why do you choose to be a member of the Minnesota Optometric Association?
To me it simply is THE organization for our profession. Not only does it provide the leadership for our political goals and quality education, it also provides opportunities for interaction and friendship with our colleagues, which is also very important to our profession.
What do you like best about the profession of optometry?
Optometry has provided exactly what I had hoped, an opportunity to have an interesting healthcare career while being in private practice in a smaller rural town.
Describe your favorite memory from your optometric career.
It's hard to pick just one, but I vividly remember walking into our clinic on my first day of work as a recent grad and new associate, and I also remember that same walk when I entered the building as the new owner of the clinic a number of years later.
