A guy who loves his job as a Legislative Director!
Our speaker for Mon., Aug. 19, All Member Meeting

NEW DATE! NEW LOCATION!

MATT SMITH, LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR, AFL-CIO OHIO

Next on our list of dynamic speakers is Matt Smith, Legislative Director for the AFL-CIO Ohio. He’ll share the latest on legislation making its way through the Ohio General Assembly and what’s on the horizon.

DAY/DATE: Monday, Aug. 19
TIME: 7 p.m., appetizers and beverages
LOCATION: North Water Brewing, 101 Crain Ave., Kent
FREE and open to the public.

Matthew Smith was born in Pikeville, Kentucky in 1985 into a strong Labor family. Matt comes from 4 generations of coal miners and has been walking picket lines since he was 2 years old. He graduated from the University of Louisville in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Columbus, Ohio to work on campaigns for Labor friendly candidates.

 In 2008, Matt was hired as a Legislative Aide to State Senator Sue Morano, a union member. He continued to work in the Senate jobs until the introduction of Senate Bill 5. Within weeks he had been hired by the Ohio AFL-CIO as a legislative coordinator and soon became Legislative Director at the state federation where he still serves.

As chief lobbyist, Matt builds relationships with elected officials at every level from both sides of the aisle to make sure the rights of all workers are respected and to try and move a worker friendly agenda. 

When the legislature is not in session, Matt works on labor-backed campaigns in various capacities. Most recently, he led the Union Strong campaign against Issue 1 in August, 2023. Matt lives in Pataskala with his wife Sarah and two daughters, Margot and Madeline.

Invite famlly, friends and neighbors to our All Member Meetings.