For more than 30 years, Matt has been very fortunate to work with and learn from leaders and innovators in the private sector, higher education and government. With a constant focus on strategic communications and its role in advancing an organization, this invaluable experience is the platform on which he has built his current business, Cookson Communications. The firm works in partnership with clients to provide effective communications, marketing, branding design and consulting strategies and services that help clients engage with their target audiences, elevate visibility and achieve company goals. The company has a focus on education and healthcare and serves dozens of organizations including state agencies, nonprofits, educational organizations, businesses and more.
Prior to launching is company, Matt held senior level positions in higher education at the University of Connecticut, New England College, Antioch University and the University System of New Hampshire, where he served as associate vice chancellor of external relations. He worked in the private sector with PC Connection and ran a tech spin-off startup company for several years. He also worked in state government in the Connecticut State Legislature and as a liaison to the governor, the NH Department of Health and Humans Services as legislative director, and in the federal government as a congressional press secretary.
In 2010, he launched Cookson Communications. Located in downtown Manchester, the firm services several major accounts in the higher education, manufacturing, technology, and nonprofit sectors. Matt spends his time on strategy and consulting services for many leaders across the state. The firm also handled all aspects of managing the NH Tech Alliance from 2010-2019, during which time Matt also served as executive director. In 2022, the company was listed among the 100 fastest growing companies in the U.S. by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC).
Matt received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from UConn and is a 2003 Leadership New Hampshire Associate. He co-founded Stay Work Play in 2009. That same year, he was named as one of the “25 Leaders of the Future” by Business NH Magazine. He was an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Hampshire, where he taught public relations courses.
He is regularly tapped to consult with business and organizational leaders regionally on a myriad of issues. He has been actively engaged in many boards and organizations in his adopted home state of New Hampshire and is currently chair of the Greater Manchester Chamber and Vice Chair of the Northeast Delta Dental boards. As a believer in lifelong learning, in 2019 he completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program. That same year, Matt was included in the list of the 200 top business leaders in New Hampshire by NH Business Review and included again in 2022.
