Raised by his mother on Chicago’s South Side, Matt learned firsthand the challenges and opportunities facing working families. After attending Beasley Academic Center and graduating from Mount Carmel High School, Matt attended Stanford University, where he was elected the first African American student body president in the school’s history. After college, a Henry Luce Fellowship took him to Beijing, where he lived and worked in the Chinese music industry. He went on to earn his law degree from Yale Law School and his MBA from Harvard Business School.

Matt always knew he would return home to Chicago. Back in the city that shaped him, he built businesses, worked as an attorney, and started a nonprofit for high school students to inspire the next generation of leaders. For the past 13 years, he has served as Commissioner, board chair, and CEO of the Chicago Housing Authority, the nation’s third-largest housing authority, where he led day-to-day operations, oversaw a $1.4 billion budget, and championed a resident-first approach serving more than 135,000 residents across the city. 

Along with his mom and brother, Matt founded and owns Grasshopper Club, Chicago’s first and only Black-owned cannabis dispensary — a reflection of his commitment to building businesses that expand access and create opportunity in emerging industries. Matt is also a co-owner of The Wiener’s Circle, the iconic Chicago hot dog stand.

Matt believes that where you start should not determine where you end up, and he is running for mayor to make that a reality for all Chicagoans.