Matt McDonald

Matt McDonald has served as a senior counselor to leaders in the public and private sectors for more than a decade, providing guidance at the intersection of communications and business strategy. Most recently, Matt was a consultant for McKinsey & Company in their New York and Washington offices. In that role, he helped C-suite executives confronting generational industry and economic upheaval. He advised financial services executives on loss mitigation strategies in the aftermath of the economic crisis, and worked with media executives to develop new growth opportunities in an environment of rapid change. His work spanned the breadth of business challenges from high level strategy development to organizational change. Prior to joining McKinsey, Matt served under President Bush as Associate Communications Director at the White House with responsibility for economic issues. Matt has also served in senior roles on the past three presidential campaigns. In 2012, he led research and messaging for Governor Romney related to private equity issues. During the 2008 campaign he prepared Senator McCain for debates, counseled him on the response to the economic crisis, and was part of the senior leadership team directing campaign strategy. Matt also worked as the Rapid Response Director for President Bush’s 2004 reelection and served in a similar leadership role as a Senior Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger’s reelection victory in California. Previously, he was a speechwriter for Governors and members of Congress. Matt holds a degree in economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management where he was selected as the teaching assistant for former GE Chairman Jack Welch. He lives in Washington with his wife Amy and their two children, Jack and Poppy.