Oakland University has selected William “Bill” Matt as the new executive director of Meadow Brook Hall. With a 20-year career in higher education, Matt has provided visionary leadership in a variety of professional and community roles focused on arts and culture.
“We are thrilled to welcome Bill Matt to the Oakland University family,” said Michael Westfall, vice president for University Advancement. “The Meadow Brook Estate holds a special place of great tradition and pride within the university, and is a unique and popular gathering place for the region. Matt’s depth of museum experience, coupled with a strong background within higher education, will ensure that the estate will continue to be preserved as a vibrant centerpiece for the entire community.”
In the past six years as deputy director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University, Matt managed important functions in exhibitions management, design and installations, collections, facilities, marketing, finance and human resource areas. He also helped his team secure a $1 million gift from the MSU Federal Credit Union to open the MSU Broad Art Lab in 2018, and led the design and construction of the 7,000-square-foot facility in downtown East Lansing.
Prior to joining the MSU Broad Art Museum, Matt was the assistant director for business of MSU’s Campus Living Services, one of the largest on-campus housing systems in the country. He began his career at Michigan State University in 2001 at the MSU Museum (Science and Culture) and helped the museum launch the Great Lakes Folk Festival in East Lansing in 2002.
In addition to roles at MSU, Matt has served on various community and municipal boards and commissions, including the Lansing Mayoral Arts Commission, Lansing City Council, Ingham County Parks Commission and the Potter Park Zoo Board. He is also an American Alliance of Museums Peer Site Reviewer, and in 2020, was selected to present at the annual conference of the Association of Academic Museums and Galleries.
Matt is a graduate with high honors from the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University and earned his Master of Arts degree from MSU’s College of Education. A longtime resident of the Lansing area, Matt and his wife Michelle have three sons, Nicholas, Avery and Owen.
