I’m Matt. You switching to electric is my jam.
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I like teaching. And creating both kinds of equity.
- 20 years teaching, coaching & early-stage investing in new schools & learning tools
- 20 years driving + 15 years building electric bikes and motorcycles
- 2 years electrifying my home - aallllllmmooooost there
- Down for creating new sources of wealth and jobs in a clean energy-powered Southeast
- In 2006, I moved to New Orleans to work at New Schools for New Orleans. I chaired the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, too. Doug Harris wrote a book about it. I also started building motorcycles as an elaborate scheme to justify buying cool tools.
- In 2010, I launched an organization called 4.0 to help entrepreneurs try new things. It's still going strong at 1,400 founder alumni and millions of families served. Handing off leadership to my team was a four-year process, and what I learned heavily informs my current leadership coaching philosophy. Along with the comically long list of things I’ve screwed up on my own.
- In 2019, I started investing in the electrification of vehicles, buildings and the grid, including multiple rounds in (and some earned equity as an advisor) B2U Storage Solutions, operator of the largest second-life electric car battery power plant in the USA.
I’ve worked with amazing people on a few cool projects.
- 1996 Atlanta Olympics - I was one of the first ten people on staff at the largest peace-time event in world history.
- NYC Charter Schools - I helped build the first US city-wide charter school incubator.
- KIPP Foundation - I led the first wave of expansion at KIPP, now the largest charter school network in the US.
I’ve studied with some great people.
- MBA, Northwestern University/Kellogg: Decision Sciences, Education Mgmt
- BA, Duke University: math, Spanish Language
- TBD: Residential Electrician Certificate, Delgado Community College
- Racial Equity Institute, Rocky Mtn School of Photography, Fuller Moto Welding Essentials, Center for Restorative Approaches, On Deck Climate Tech Fellowship
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Biz New Orleans on My Next Electric
The Vintagent on Converting Bikes
A short on what NASA can teach us about schools
Forbes piece on Rooted School
Tom Vander Ark Pod on 4.0 and The Future of School
Leadership for Educational Equity Pod on Lessons at 4.0
The 74 on investing in entrepreneurs
Pecha Kucha Talk on motorcycles
More Writing/Video
- 5 Climate Tech Startups in 10 weeks
- I ♥ My Electrician: 4 Hunches about our electrified lives in 2040
- The Big EC: New Orleans, Electric City
- The Trillion Dollar South: What If We Electrify First?
- Studio/Shop Tour
- On 8 years at 4.0
- On both kinds of equity
- What's next for me?
- 4.0 2019 Report
- Rethinking expertise
- NASA and the future of school
- Lessons on 100+ schools, startups
- Pecha Kucha on building bikes
- On the #Futureofschool with Tom Vander Ark
I do some angel investing and philanthropy.
B2U runs the largest 2nd-life EV battery power plant in the US.
Together New Orleans is putting solar and storage on 85 houses of faith and community centers in and around New Orleans.
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