Spearheading growth and operationalizing long-term visions through high-impact partnerships, robust strategic planning and effective communication tactics that have fostered organizational alignment and stakeholder engagement. Vast and diverse experience in senior leadership, campaign management and narrative change.

Experience

Mission-Critical Transformation

• Championed large-scale organizational change, securing deep leader and stakeholder buy-in to transition towards inclusive, accountability-driven communications models that optimize team output

• Pioneered a constituent-led messaging framework that shifted the face of primary public relations from professional staff to rank-and-file members in high-stakes organizing, advocacy and political campaigns

• Transformed a labor federation’s communications function into a modern, video-first powerhouse by architecting the production infrastructure and development programs necessary to scale capacity

Senior Leadership

• Spearheaded integrated communications and external affairs strategies for nearly two decades, providing executive-level counsel to networks of 150+ change-makers driving policy and political engagement

• Mobilized and mentored a cross-functional coalition of 50+ subject matter experts, driving the strategic alignment of labor, legislative and electoral priorities over a two-year period

• Cultivated a high-performance culture by directing recruitment, onboarding and development for a 12-member leadership team, overseeing a decentralized field operation of 100+ fundraising staff for over a decade

Narrative Change

• Engineered integrated public relations for 12 complex labor drives, leveraging narrative-shifting storytelling to expand institutional membership by over 8,000 and strengthen collective bargaining power

• Fostered a high-impact communications ecosystem by training and mentoring 100+ labor activists, empowering grassroots leaders to execute sophisticated internal and external media tactics that advanced policy agendas

• Institutionalized organizational digital excellence by designing and executing high-level training initiatives for 50+ diverse labor leaders, ensuring unified and effective online messaging at the staff and constituent levels

Employment

• Communications Director, AFT Connecticut, Rocky Hill, CT, 2013 – Present

• District Political Director, Local 32BJ, SEIU, Hartford, CT, 2011 – 2013 

• Communications & Interim Poltical Director, CSEA/SEIU Local 2001, Hartford, CT, 2006 – 2011

• Communications Director, SEIU Local 2021 (now 221), San Diego, CA, 2005 – 2006

• Operations & Quality Control Director, Community Services of Texas, Irving, TX, 1991 – 2005

Education

• Continuing Education Certificate, Union Leadership Academy, Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR), New Brunswick, NJ

• BA, Communication in Political Life, University of Massachusetts - University Without Walls, Amherst, MA

• Associate's degree, Political Science & Government, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield, MA

Training

Leadership & Management

• Kamora’s Cultural Corner diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) framework practices

• SEIU member political organizer recruitment, development & supervision

• Robbins Research International personnel leadership

Public Relations

• SEIU press coverage/opinion piece pitching

• SEIU media spokesperson development, speechwriting & coaching

• Cision/PR Newswire press release distribution service & media management database

Digital Design & Publishing

• Adobe suite of graphic design & desktop publishing software

• Canva graphic design & video production software

• WordPress and Drupal website development & maintenance platforms

Electronic Communications & Administration

• Action Network online advocacy platform

• Hustle SMS texting application

• Microsoft & Google suites of productivity & artificial intelligence (AI) tools

Social Media

• Meta, Google, Linked-In, Bluesky & X social media platforms content creation

• Meta & Google digital marketing

• AFT rapid responder social media recruitment & mentoring

Public Policy & Politics

• Connecticut General Assembly’s Office of State Ethics (OSE) compliance (certification)

• SEIU ethics digital education tool (EDET) (certification)

• SEIU member political organizer recruitment & development

Organizing & Constituent Engagement

• AFL-CIO nonviolent civil resistance training & facilitation

• AFT Member Organizing Institute (MOI) engagement strategy & skills development

• Bargaining for the Common Good social justice alliance & community coalition-building

Skills

• Advocacy Strategies

• Alliance Formation

• Analytical Skills

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)

• Brand Storytelling

• Charity Marketing

• Client Relations

• Coalition Building

• Collective Bargaining

• Communications Planning

• Community Development

• Community Engagement

• Community Outreach

• Conflict Resolution

• Content Management Systems (CMS)

• Creative Problem-Solving

• Crisis Communications

• Cross-functional Team Leadership

• Data Analysis

• Development

• Digital Marketing

• Donor Engagement

• Donor Management

• Donor Solicitation

• Employee Training

• Expense Budgeting

• Federal & State Regulations

• Fundraising

• Geofencing

• Government Relations

• HR Policy Formulation

• Individual Donor Cultivation

• Influencer Outreach

• Interpersonal Communication

• Labor/Employment Law

• Labor Communications

• Legislative Testimony

• Legislative Relations

• Legislative Research

• Lobbying

• Market Research

• Marketing Budget Management

• Media Relations

• Media Training

• Mediation/Arbitration

• Mentoring

• Message Development

• Message Frameworks

• Narrative Development

• New Media Platforms

• Nonprofit Fundraising

• Online Advertising

• Online Advocacy

• Operating Budgets

• Opinion Polling

• Organizational Development

• Organizational Skills

• Payroll Management

• Personnel Management

• Personnel Policies

• Political Action Committee (PAC) Fundraising

• Political Advocacy

• Political Campaigns

• Political Polling

• Press Conferences

• Press Releases

• Principal Profile Elevation

• Privacy Regulations

• Program Development

• Program Management

• Public Policy

• Public Relations

• Quality Control

• Recruiting

• Reputation Management

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

• Social Media Advertising

• Speechwriting

• Statistical Process Control (SPC)

• Storytelling

• Strategic Communications

• Strategic Planning

• Team Building

• Team Management

• Third-Party Vendor Management

• Thought Leadership

• Volunteer Management

• Volunteer Recruiting

• Web Project Management

• Website Administration

• Workforce Policy

Resume

Prefer a more tactile experience? Download and print a PDF version.

Get in touch at UnionMattO@gmail.com

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse