Matthew Chapman – Ombudsperson and Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner

Matt joined OmbudsPEI as the Deputy Ombudsperson in June 2022. He was appointed Acting Ombudsperson in December 2025 and Ombudsperson in April 2026.

Matt obtained a commercial pilot’s license from Selkirk College in 2002 and worked in the aviation industry in northern Saskatchewan before obtaining a bachelor’s degree in 2007. After researching and writing a book for the Navy in 2008, he earned a master’s degree in Canadian military history from the University of Victoria in 2010. For the next five years Matt worked with the federal government to help compensate victims of childhood physical and sexual abuse suffered at Indian Residential Schools across Canada.

Between 2015 and 2022, Matt was an investigator with the BC Ombudsperson’s office and served as an investigator with Elections BC during that province’s 2020 general election. He moved with his family to rural PEI in June of 2022 and helped establish OmbudsPEI alongside the province’s first Ombudsperson, Sandy Hermiston. Matt is grateful to all Islanders for welcoming him and his family and looks forward to advancing fairness on the island in the years to come.

Alex Dalton – Investigator
Alex joined the OmbudsPEI team in July 2022 as an Investigator. Alex has deep roots in PEI, having been born and raised on a beef and potato farm in West Prince. After high school she moved to New Brunswick for eight years where she completed an undergraduate degree in international relations at Mount Allison University (2012) and a law degree at the University of New Brunswick (2015). After articling she worked as a lawyer for six years in the areas of criminal, mental health and family law in PEI, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, including acting as a prosecutor and public defender. These experiences have afforded her the ability to connect with and help people from all walks of life.

Alex is happy to have returned home to PEI. She is an active member of the community, having been president of a local charity (Community Legal Information), a member of the PEI Youth Futures Council and a volunteer at numerous free legal information clinics. In her spare time she enjoys travelling, being outdoors and spending time with family and friends.

Alex is excited to be part of the OmbudsPEI team and is looking forward to serving Islanders.

Cody McEachern – Investigator
Cody joined the OmbudsPEI team in April 2023 as an Investigator. Born in Fredericton, N.B. and raised in PEI, Cody has spent the last eight years exploring the Maritimes both personally and professionally as a journalist and photographer. While attending Holland College in 2015 for journalism, Cody began his reporting career as a freelance business and tourism writer for Brunswick News and got his first summer internship at the company’s Woodstock paper, the Bugle-Observer. After graduating in 2017, Cody moved to Halifax N.S. to work as a freelance reporter with The Halifax Metro, before moving into a full-time reporter position for Truro Daily News in Truro, N.S. From there, Cody spent six years working in newsrooms in both Nova Scotia and PEI as a reporter, lead editor and news director, most recently as the business and municipal reporter for The Guardian in Charlottetown.

Throughout his career, Cody has gained experience through his reporting on the topics of housing, business, mental health and addictions, municipal issues, labour, education and healthcare, among others. In his spare time, he can be found spending time with his wife and two kids, playing guitar, flying his drone or taking photos of the Island’s unique landscapes and towns.

Cody is excited to be a part of the OmbudsPEI team and is looking forward to using his experience to help advance fairness for Islanders.

Lauren McKearney – Investigator and Office Manager
Lauren joined OmbudsPEI in June 2022. Initially serving as the Office Manager, she transitioned into a dual role as both Investigator and Office Manager in 2024. In this capacity, she balances the office’s administrative operations with the work of assessing and investigating complaints.

A proud Islander, Lauren was born and raised on Prince Edward Island and has a deep love for the place she calls home. She is a 2017 graduate of the University of Prince Edward Island, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts. Before joining OmbudsPEI, Lauren gained valuable experience through various administrative roles across both the public and private sectors.

Lauren is passionate about community and dedicated to giving back to her fellow Islanders. Her commitment to service is reflected in her past role with the City of Charlottetown Youth Engagement Committee and her time spent volunteering as a Crisis Responder with Kids Help Phone.

Lauren is grateful to be part of a team that serves as an independent voice for fairness and looks forward to continuing her service to the Island community.