Getting To Know Us – Matt Levine

1. Tell us about you. Where did you go to school? What’s your most recent professional experience?

I earned an M.Ed. from Iowa State University. Before that, I attended Drake University in Des Moines, IA, and received my B.S. in Psychology and Sociology. Before heading to E&I in January 2024, I worked as the marketing manager for a smaller, local mental health agency, called Lorenz Clinic. Lorenz had 125 employees and served about 3000 clients each week. While there, I managed our digital and print communications efforts, as well as business development initiatives and partnerships.

2. Tell us about your role here at E&I. Give us a quick rundown of your responsibilities and how they play a part in our team’s overall success.

I am a content marketing manager overseeing our Procurement and Human Resources tracks. I work closely with our teams across E&I to develop content that we can insert into our marketing newsletters. This content can range from blog posts to case studies. I also work closely with our conferences and events teams on marketing efforts centered around lead generation and follow-up.

3. What do you enjoy most about your work? Are there specific tasks or projects that you find particularly fulfilling or exciting?

I enjoy getting to talk to a variety of people who participate in varying components of the customer journey. Everyone brings a different perspective to how we should be working with our members and when you piece those all together, you can see a really holistic approach to customer engagement. It is fun for me to see how we can put all of those pieces together to tell our story and share our value prop.

4. What aspect of our company culture resonates with you the most? Are there particular values or practices that you find especially meaningful and enjoy being a part of?

The specific focus on the people, as a whole, is what drew me to E&I in the first place. The emphasis on professional development and the concept of DDO – it was incredibly compelling for someone who used to work in higher education where that was a huge point of emphasis. I love that E&I values the people and has made investments to reflect that understanding.

5. What are your hobbies or interests outside of work? Tell us about your passions and how you unwind and recharge when you’re not on the clock.

I love to be outside and be active. I try to run and/or get to the gym every day. We are a ski family- both XC and downhill – so you can find us on the hill in the winter. Summers are spent on or in the water- fishing, swimming, boating. After hours are spent chasing our kids. I have two kids playing sports year-round (softball, baseball, soccer, skiing, dance). Whether coaching or chauffeuring, I enjoy being engaged in those communities. If the weather cooperates, I love to BBQ!

6. What are you reading, binge watching, or listening to? Anything in particular that’s captured your attention or sparked your interest recently?

Louise Penny has a series of books whose main character is Inspector Gamache – I try to read the new one the minute it comes out. I just finished a book called The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva. Really – anything murder mystery with a lot of layers is appealing. We binge The Bear, New Girl, Ted Lasso (new season coming, maybe???…), How I Met Your Mother, Kids Baking Championship (with my kids). I have a soft place in my heart for The West Wing. The only thing I am listening to, currently, is all things by Taylor Swift because my kids are obsessed.

7. Share a fun fact about yourself. Is there something about you that your colleagues might find surprising or interesting?

I have never left North America.

8. What’s one thing you want to do in the next year that you’ve never done before?

In the next year, I’d like to smoke/BBQ a really nice Porquetta.

9. What do you want to get 1% better at each day?

I’d like to get 1% better at listening, every day. I think there is hearing someone and really listening to someone. People have so much going on in their lives that I think the better we listen to people – and really listen – the better we can work with people so that they feel supported and encouraged.