Matt Kostelnick received his B.S. degree in Horticulture (specialization floriculture and greenhouse management) and M.S. degree in Agricultural Education from Iowa State University. Before, during, and after his studies, he has spent time growing various ornamental crops in small, medium, and large greenhouses in Iowa and California. He has also helped manage nursery and garden centers in central Iowa. During his undergraduate studies, Mr. Kostelnick studied abroad in Slovakia. His focus was on the Slovak language and Eastern European economics. He received his pesticide applicator's license in both Iowa and California. He has also been the recipient of the Joseph T. Shinoda horticultural scholarship and the Iowa Floral Association scholarship.

Matt Kostelnick conducts numerous programs with University of Illinois Extension in Cook County. His programs focus primarily on horticulture in urban environments. His programs include:

The Master School Gardener Program. This program started in August of 2006 and is a branch of the Chicago Master Gardener Program. The Master School Gardener Program is a program that gives trained Master Gardener Volunteers an opportunity to share their horticulture skills and experience with school teachers who want to develop/maintain a school garden. Master School Gardeners provide technical advice, information, guidance, suggestions, and mentoring to school teachers with the goal of creating sustainable, "fruitful" school gardens. School gardens have been shown to be a great learning environment and are particularly useful in urban environments where many youth are not exposed to plants and nature on a regular basis. This program helps insure teachers' ability to create and sustain school gardens as a learning tool.

Gardening Workshops. He offers workshops for gardeners on various horticulture related issues, including: Houseplants, Gardening Without Chemicals, Gardening with Annuals and Perennials, Native Plants, Carnivorous Plants, Lawn Care, Low Maintenance Lawn Care, Cool Season Vegetables, Extending the Growing Season (Cold Frames, etc.), Starting Seeds Indoors, Emerald Ash Borer, and other horticulture-related topics.

Youth Horticulture. Programs for youth include: Water Quality Demonstrations (with an interactive model which teaches youth about water quality and the environment), Carnivorous Plants Show, Bug Bash with Live Insects (Hissing Cockroaches and other LIVE insects), Plant Propagation, and other topics.

Careers in Horticulture. This program is a presentation about the different career opportunities in the various fields within horticulture, including careers in turf grass, garden centers/nurseries, floriculture, greenhouse work, landscaping, plant maintenance, and other areas in horticulture.

Educational Opportunities in Horticulture. This program is a presentation about the different educational opportunities in horticulture including degree options and field specializations. Also covered are scholarship opportunities for prospective students in horticulture.