Matthew Walker leads UNITE HERE HEALTH (“the Fund”) as the Chief Executive Officer and, since 2012, he has driven and promoted strategies and a culture focused on providing high-quality health benefits at better value than is otherwise available in the market, thereby improving the health and healthcare of more than 200,000 participants across the nation.
Matthew has guided the Fund through a period of significant change and growth. Under his leadership, the Fund has:
Matthew has also built a strong, talented national staff and fostered an excellent workplace culture focused on professional development, empowerment and a deep respect for diversity in backgrounds and experiences.
Before joining the Fund, Matthew served as Vice President of the North American union, UNITE HERE, and as Director of the Strategic Affairs Department overseeing the union’s 100-person strategic research, campaign and planning department.
With more than 25 years of labor relations experience—much of it centered on strategic planning and campaigns—Matthew played a crucial role in developing and directing innovative public relations, regulatory, shareholder, and legislative strategies designed to strengthen the union’s relationships with its major employers. He also provided strategic advice to national and local union leaders on the direction of their respective organizations.
A seasoned public speaker, Matthew has testified before Congress and other legislative and regulatory bodies and has spoken at various forums on healthcare as well as corporate governance and labor relations. He is highly regarded for organizing for institutional change. Matthew served as an elected member of UNITE HERE’s General Executive Board for over 15 years. He also served as a director of the Amalgamated Bank of New York for four years, and a panelist in the Zetema Project which brought together approximately 60 healthcare leaders to debate, discuss, and learn about the most important healthcare issues facing the US.
Matthew graduated from Yale University in 1984. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys running, reading and above all, spending time with his family.
