Since I became Beloit’s first Executive-in-Residence in 2020, I have been a mentor and resource for students, helping them prepare for their futures and become active participants in making the Beloit College community a better place.

I graduated from Beloit in 1992 and went on to a career leading big and small teams as a general manager, dealing with business challenges from acquisitions to cultural transformations. My executive coaching business helps aspiring and existing executives develop their most inspiring, effective, and authentic leadership style.

My 25-plus years of experience leading both small and large businesses — from multi-billion-dollar global consumer companies like Clorox to small commercial organizations like Prince Castle, Inc., The Middleby Group, and Ross Controls — has given me a unique perspective to coach students through job interviews, resume writing, and more. I love seeing their faces light up when they tell me they nailed an interview or were offered the job or internship they were shooting for.

I currently wear many hats for the college. I teach Navigating Your (Business) Career (ECON 270), which has grown steadily in numbers every year. Students learn different business and entrepreneurial concepts, but they also work in teams on tackling a real problem relevant to Beloit College. One year, we worked on driving up the usage of Career Works. Students loved it — realizing that this work is real and tangible. It led to two students even getting involved as Career Works interns. Another year, we developed the idea for the Culture Club, a group of faculty, staff, and students charged with planning, elevating, and promoting events and fun on campus. I gave them money and a budget and they discovered that an event can’t just be about one thing. I’ll also be teaching a second class, Marketing Principles and Strategy, as a new course in Beloit’s School of Business.

I’m also one of a few mentors for the Impact Beloit Fellows, where I serve as an executive coach, and have been helping to launch a faculty ambassador program to talk with prospective students remotely or on campus about how Beloit can be a transformative place.

I love this place and what it can do for people. It’s a place where students take advantage of all the things going on and are better prepared and more impactful leaders than their peers elsewhere. I want to elevate the experience for everyone here — it’s a rewarding, enjoyable, fun place to be.

Talk to Matt about: Beloit College sports broadcasting, what I’m cooking on the smoker.