Matsalyn is the Assistant to the Dean at the Tippie College of Business and has been with the college since 2003. She was elected to the Staff Council as an organization representative for the Tippie College in Fall 2019.

Matsalyn graduated from the UI in 1997 with a BA degree in Anthropology and Asian Studies from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She volunteers with the Tai Studies Center in Des Moines and she works to spread awareness about the Tai Dam. She and her husband Mark have two children, Russell and Navina.