Community Bridges is excited to announce that Kathleen Matthews will serve as host and emcee at our Girl Legacy celebration on November 14, 2018.
Kathleen has worked in the nation’s capital and Maryland for 40 years as a journalist, communications and public affairs executive, and Democratic political activist.
A 25-year resident of Montgomery County, Maryland, she ran as a Democrat for Congress in Maryland’s 8th District in 2016 and was elected Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party on May 6, 2017. She serves on the boards of Emerge Maryland and Girl Scouts of the National Capital Area, and is active in the Women’s Democratic Club of Montgomery County.
Kathleen was the chief communications and public affairs officer for Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel company, and one of Maryland’s largest and most respected employers from 2006-2015. In that role, she was responsible for the company’s global brand public relations, corporate communications, government affairs, social responsibility, and and foundation for people with disabilities.
She served on the company’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council, where she was a vigorous advocate for equality and opportunity for women, minorities, people with disabilities and the LGBTQ community. As an outspoken environmentalist, she created and co-chaired Marriott’s Global Green Council, which created the company’s goals and commitment to be a sustainability leader.
Prior to her career at Marriott, Kathleen was an award winning news anchor and reporter at the ABC-TV affiliate in Washington, DC for 25 years, where she covered local news in Maryland and the nations capital. She hosted the nationally syndicated “Working Woman” television show, which promoted women’s equality and opportunity. For 25 years, she was a union member represented by the American Federation of Television and Radio Associates (AFTRA-SAG.) Matthews has been awarded multiple journalism awards, including nine local Emmys, the Human Rights Campaign’s Straight Ally Award, and Washingtonian of the Year for her community service.
Kathleen is a 1975 graduate of Stanford University, and a 2004 Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School at Harvard University. She and her husband, Chris Matthews, have three grown children.