Matthew Segal
| Matthew Segal | |
|---|---|
Segal on September 20, 2011
|
|
| Born |
October 18, 1985 Chicago, IL |
| Education | Kenyon College |
| Occupation | Political activist, Social entrepreneur |
| Website |
www www |
Matthew Segal (born October 18, 1985) is an American social entrepreneur, media commentator, and political activist. He is the co-founder of ATTN:, an issue-driven media company that delivers engaging content to a mobile-first audience. He also co-founded Our Time, a nationwide non-profit network of young Americans promoting economic and voter empowerment.
Segal was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended New Trier High School, and graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College in 2008. He became an advocate for student voting rights in college after his campus polling place experienced the longest lines in the 2004 presidential election.
After the reported 12 hour-long voting lines at Kenyon College in 2004, Segal provided testimony to the US House Judiciary Committee, which was investigating election irregularities, at the age of 19, noting that "It seems almost hypocritical that a society so focused on the importance of the vote did not concern itself more heavily with the actual process of voting."
When a junior in college, Segal founded Student Association for Voter Empowerment (SAVE) with the stated aim of "work[ing] to bring young Americans into the political process by breaking down barriers to electoral participation and encouraging youth-led policy solutions." He founded SAVE at age 21, which expanded to 40 college campuses in more than 15 states, and worked on election protection initiatives as well as expanding voter access through initiatives such as the Student VOTER Act.
After the 2008 presidential election, Segal co-founded the 80 Million Strong for Young American Jobs Coalition, the largest campaign of organizations in the United States that addressed youth unemployment and other economic challenges facing individuals under 30. In this capacity, Segal spearheaded a national jobs summit in the U.S. Capitol with hundreds of young leaders, provided testimony to the House Education and Labor Committee, and was the only youth representative invited to attend President Barack Obama’s conference on jobs and economic growth.
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