Matt Hager
As Director of Communications and Advancement, Matt leads EdAllies’ communications strategy including media relations, content, storytelling, and social media. He is responsible for working collaboratively with policymakers, parents, students, educators, advocates, and funders to amplify voices, keep advocates informed, and communicate critical information about EdAllies’ goals, priorities, and impact.
Matt has been in communications for over 15 years, most recently as Director of Marketing Communications at Scholarship America. Prior to Scholarship America, Matt worked for multiple organizations in the private and nonprofit sectors managing external communications, public relations, and marketing. He spent seven years in Washington, D.C. at organizations specializing in grassroots and issue advocacy, crisis communications, program management, and building public/private partnerships.
He has bachelor’s degrees from the University of Minnesota Duluth in both English and Teaching Communication, Arts and Literature—completing his student teaching in Whakatane, New Zealand—with a minor in Political Science. He currently lives in the southern Twin Cities metro with his wife, two children, and springer spaniel.
What do you hope to see change in your lifetime?
I come from a family of educators and administrators. I believe education is a key to breaking down barriers that are placed in front of students from historically underserved communities. We are at a critical juncture in education policy where we can make meaningful change for students, educators, families, local communities, and our state. I would like to see us stop investing in status quo measures that are only in place for the ease of bureaucracy and instead, focus on equitable investments to ensure students from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and communities are given the means to have a safe, healthy, and supportive education.