Matthew Cantrall

Matthew Cantrall of Lakeland, Florida, U.S., was elected to a three-year term as a trustee of Kiwanis International during the 2023 Kiwanis International Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. He will serve as a trustee for the United States and Pacific Canada regions of Kiwanis. 

A member of Kiwanis for 36 years, Cantrall has served twice as president of the Kiwanis Club of Lakeland. He also has served as lieutenant governor and governor of the Florida District of Kiwanis, the Florida district administrator for Key Club and CKI, a Kiwanis Children’s Fund trustee, chair of the Kiwanis International Convention Host Committee and member of the Visionary Leadership Committee. Cantrall was also part of the group that developed the Kiwanis Amplify leadership program.  In addition to his Trustee role, he has stepped back into the CKI administrators position to help them navigate in a time of transition.  

His honors within the Kiwanis family include a George F. Hixson Fellowship, a diamond-level Walter Zeller Fellowship, a Key Club Key of Honor, a CKI Circle of Service Award, a CKI Carthage-Pullman Society membership, a Key Club Florida District G. Harold Martin Fellowship, a Florida Kiwanis Foundation Ralph Davis Fellowship, and a Florida Kiwanis Foundation Robert W. Thal Life Member Fellowship. 

As an ongoing part of his Kiwanis career, Cantrall personally knocks on doors and addresses the chamber of commerce and other local groups in support of area Kiwanis clubs. He provides educational training to club officers and members and makes a point of personally inviting new members of his home club to assist with service projects. 

A second-generation Kiwanian, Cantrall was exposed to servant leadership through his parents, so he is aware of both the successes and challenges within the Kiwanis family. As trustee, he plans to listen and learn first — and then to be part of a team working to increase membership, service and financial stability. His background with the Kiwanis family and staff, combined with his experience owning his own business, drives him to make prudent decisions that create positive outcomes. 

Cantrall holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management and is the owner of Century Signs. Outside of Kiwanis, Cantrall has been an active member of other community organizations, including service as a past board member for the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce, Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, and the Learning Resource Center. He is a Kathleen High School business partner and a member of both the All Saints’ Episcopal Church Vestry and the Polk County Builders Association. He and his wife, Cheryl, have two children and seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.