About Matt
Originally from Dedham, Massachusetts, Matt now splits time among three places that he has come to love. All three are home: Dedham, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; and Alexandria, Virginia.
Matt served for thirty years as a logistics officer at sea and ashore in the U.S. Navy. Since completing his naval service in 2013, he has embarked on a career that includes teaching economics, political economy and crisis leadership; consulting to public and private sector entities; and providing economic and risk management advice to local governments as well as to local and national political campaigns.
His determination to build Discourse for Democracy, to enhance political discourse, a necessary element for the survival of the republican form of government, is informed by what he characterizes as an alarming lack of temperate, knowledge-based, empathetic discourse among the political elite and the public. Worse still, there appears to be a collective sense of timidity toward discussing matters that might generate controversy – however important the matters might be to the health of the republic.
The alarm is balanced, however by his understanding of American history and his fundamental belief in the American public. The United States has experienced and transcended similar morasses before. And the good work he has witnessed from sailors, soldiers, Marines, other service members, and civil servants he has worked with and he admires; the potential of the students and the capabilities of industry leaders he has served; and the fundamental wisdom underscoring the design of American institutions provide some solace. But still, there is a need for action. Discourse for Democracy represents a small, but potentially significant action – a step towards rebuilding our capacity to engage in fruitful political discourse.​​
Matthew S.A. Feely, PhD.
​​Captain, United States Navy (Ret.)​
​Credentials:
BS (English and Naval Science/Engineering), United States Naval Academy
MBA (Public Finance/Management), Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
MS, Distinguished Graduate (Strategic Resources Management), National Defense University
Ph.D. (Decision Analysis/Risk Management), Center for Energy and the Environment/Wharton Center for Decision
Processes and Risk Management, University of Pennsylvania
Matt dedicates free time and resources to youth development and rehabilitation programs; his other interests run the gamut: history, urban agriculture, economics, sailing, ice hockey, and – not surprisingly – political discourse.​
To learn more about Matt, including services he offers to profit and non-profit entities or to book Matt for a speaking engagement or a consultation, go to MattFeely.org.