Executive Vice President, Opportunity Miami, Beacon Council

Matt Haggman is the Chief Strategic Initiatives Officer at Right to Start, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding entrepreneurial opportunities across the U.S.

Previously, Haggman served as Executive Vice President at The Beacon Council, Greater Miami’s public-private economic development organization, where he led Opportunity Miami, a community-wide initiative focused on envisioning and shaping Miami’s economic future. Prior to that, Haggman was the Miami Director at the Knight Foundation, where he created and built the foundation’s widely acclaimed program that played a pivotal role in jump-starting and propelling Miami’s rapidly growing tech and startup community. Under Haggman’s leadership, many pillars of Miami’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as Endeavor Miami, were launched.

Before transitioning to these roles, Haggman was an award-winning journalist at The Miami Herald. He won numerous awards for his work, including a Gerald Loeb Award, the highest honor in business journalism. In his last two years at The Miami Herald, he twice received the President’s Award, which honors the best work in the McClatchy newspaper chain.

Haggman is a founding Board Member of Endeavor Miami and a Trustee at New World Symphony. More than a decade ago, he joined with friends to launch TEDxMiami, which continues to present programs to sold-out audiences. Born in New York City and raised in Cambridge, Mass., Haggman earned degrees from Tulane University and Vermont Law School.