MATT DUDLEY

Matt Dudley - résumé.pdf

Welcome.

I’m a detail-oriented, friendly and energetic chief generalist, passionate about enabling people and organizations to be their best.

With a breadth of experience in operations, sales, marketing and more, I have the flexibility to lead cross-functional teams, and the versatility to support leadership in strategy, goal-setting, and the execution of high-priority initiatives.

Download my résumé as a PDF here. References available upon request.

Senior Program Director

LUMA Institute; Pittsburgh, PA
October 2018 - Present

Establish and nurture relationships with large, international clients. Develop and implement strategies to aid LUMA’s business growth team. Teach and facilitate a unique and scalable approach to human-centered design / design thinking.

Client Relationships

  • Manage seven-figure book of business, including eight international Fortune 500 companies

  • Develop proposals and SOWs, respond to RFPs, and manage negotiation and procurement with LUMA’s clients

  • Provide white-glove support to new and existing clients, and oversee every element of client relationships

Special Projects

  • Conduct client research, and support strategic initiatives around curriculum design and product development

  • Develop and oversee intranet website to provide business growth team with easy access to critical resources

  • Design and implement large human-centered design capability development programs (train-the-trainer)

Facilitation, Instruction and Leadership

  • Teach workshops both in-person and online, using tools like Zoom, MURAL, and more. Combined NPS score of 83.

  • Manage a cross-functional client enablement team, and ensure that we reach established business objectives

  • Certified Facilitator and Instructor of Human-Centered Design / Design Thinking


Director of Operations

STOKED; Nashville, TN
February 2016 - June 2018

Served as thought partner to co-founder and CEO of a boutique design thinking consultancy. Facilitated critical initiatives to steward company through a period of tremendous growth, while increasing the quantity and length of client engagements.

Strategic and Operational Thought Partnership

  • Stewarded company through 3X growth in revenue & 3X growth in team size in two years

  • Increased margins while adding full-time employees, and opening a 6,800 square foot design studio

  • Provided owners with customized reports, data, and insights, to guide strategic decision-making

  • Served as a thought-partner to the leadership team on issues related to hiring, business strategy, and more

Process Improvement

  • Overhauled accounting processes, and installed efficient protocols for invoicing, billing, A/R, A/P and more

  • Automated tasks (HR on-boarding, bill payments, payroll) and improved efficiency across the organization

  • Implemented tools (Gusto, Expensify, Slack, Xero) to successfully address gaps in communication and productivity

Client Relationships

  • Served as logistical and financial contact for 34 short- and long-term client relationships

  • Developed customized proposals, responded to RFPs, and reviewed SOWs

  • Tripled length of average client engagement


Founder and CEO

The Skillery; Nashville, TN
October 2011 - December 2019

Founded a recognizable and popular local business serving small business owners and creative entrepreneurs. Oversaw every aspect of day-to-day operations, including hiring, product development, finances, marketing, strategy and more.

Company Leadership

  • Turned a bootstrapped business idea into a strong local brand around entrepreneurship and community education

  • Opened Nashville’s premiere coworking space for creative entrepreneurs

  • Selected to participate in Jumpstart Foundry, a highly-competitive business accelerator program

Entrepreneurial Mentorship

  • Coordinated 600+ classes and workshops serving Nashville’s small business community

  • Developed, delivered and licensed popular curriculum for entrepreneurial workshops nationwide

  • Served as an instructor and mentor to aspiring entrepreneurs across Nashville


Associate Director

Northwestern University's National High School Institute; Evantson, IL
June 2004 - July 2011

Served as de facto chief of staff to the Division Director of a premiere University-based summer program for outstanding high school students.

  • Aided in all aspects of program leadership, and served as right-hand thought partner to the Division Director

  • Oversaw budget, faculty morale, project management, communication, University relations, and more

  • Hired and oversaw a staff of 20 diverse theatre educators, designers and technicians

  • Successfully executed 80 theatre productions in eight years, on time and under budget

Some Humanizing Fun Facts

Live in Nashville, born and raised in Connecticut. Seen and heard in radio and TV commercials for McDonald’s, Wal-Mart, Motorola, Walgreens & more. Worked for NBC on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, the 2002 Olympic Winter Games telecast, and Saturday Night Live. Been to the World Cup, World Series, NBA Finals, Olympics, and US Open, but never a Super Bowl. Once drove trolleys and gave tours of Chicago while working for The Jerry Springer Show. Can wiggle my ears. Actually, just one ear. Dad to Elliott (9) and Gwendolyn (6).

Education

University of Illinois
Masters of Teacher Leadership (2006)

Illinois State University
Secondary Teacher Certification (2006)

Northwestern University
Bachelors, Speech (1999)

A Few Projects and Work Samples

LUMA INSTITUTE: PARTNER PACKS

PROTOTYPING - PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

I spearheaded development and testing of a website for clients in need of on-demand resources during the pandemic.

The challenge: At the onset of the pandemic, our clients needed help, fast. We didn’t have polished resources to help our clients pivot to remote teaching and learning, nor could we afford to wait weeks to create them.

My approach: I took matters into my own hands. Conducting research to better understand the needs of our clients, I prototyped, tested and launched a website containing on-demand resources for our clients, to help them during the pandemic.

The solution: Partner Packs succeeded in supporting our clients during a challenging time. In a matter of days, not weeks, we were able to provide our clients with timely and relevant materials to support their ongoing programs.

INTRODUCTION TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

PROJECT MANAGEMENT - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

As CEO of The Skillery, I designed and developed a popular one-day workshop for aspiring entrepreneurs, and licensed the workshop to organizations nationwide. I led a small team in the creation of the workshop curriculum, materials, and licensing resources. In 2019, I sold the intellectual property to an economic development organization.

Download the brochure here [pdf]

We created guidebooks and materials to support workshop licensing.

We created and sold a DIY "Starter Kit" of workshop materials and supplies.

Me, teaching the day-long workshop in Nashville.

CREATIVE MORNINGS: NASHVILLE

PUBLIC SPEAKING - COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

In this 2016 talk to a packed house in Nashville, I spoke about my life as an entrepreneur, the questions that furthered my career, and the benefits and concerns raised by my practice of radical transparency. See the talk.

BUSINESS GROWTH TEAM INTRANET

THOUGHT PARTNERSHIP - COMMUNICATION

To save LUMA's business growth team valuable time, and to address a frustrating pain point for our sales team, I created a simple but elegant "one-stop shop" for essential materials and resources.

The challenge: Our sales team needed quick and easy access to resources - from sales brochures, to pricing calculators, to legal documents and more - but those resources were hard to find, and spread across various digital and physical locations.

My approach: I conducted informal interviews with our sales team members to learn more about their processes, and to assess their needs. Based on that information, I designed and developed a “business growth team intranet” containing easy access to essential materials and resources.

The solution: The business growth team intranet website is still in use today. The site saves our sales team precious time by putting information, tools and documents in one place, thus making critical resources easy to find.

THE SKILLERY

ENTREPRENEURSHIP - LEADERSHIP

In 2011, I founded a company dedicated to helping small business owners. In 2014, we opened Nashville's premier coworking space for creative entrepreneurs.

Got a question? Curious to hear more? Reach and say hello via email or on LinkedIn!