Matthew D. Chase
CEO/Executive Director
About Matthew D. Chase
Matthew D. Chase has served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Association of Counties (NACo) since September 2012. He is responsible for the overall management of the only national association representing America’s 3,069 county governments, with a national footprint of nearly 40,000 elected officials, 3.6 million county employees and more than $750 billion in annual public sector investments.
During his professional career, Matt has focused on promoting America’s economic competitiveness, strengthening the intergovernmental system of federal, state and local officials, and engaging local elected officials in the federal policymaking process. In addition, he is a regular presenter on the impact of federal budget and policy trends on local governments.
He currently serves on the board of advisors for The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) and the board of trustees for Hartwick College, including its Institute for Public Service. He is a board member and fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. He was also a founding board member of Vets’ Community Connections, a service organization helping America’s veterans access local government and nonprofit services.
Previously, Matt served nearly a decade as executive director of the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO), representing local government-based regional planning and development organizations. He was also the chief operating officer and membership director for the Professional Managers Association in Washington, D.C.
He is a graduate of Hartwick College in Otsego County, New York and holds a master's degree in political management from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Matt was raised in Warren and Washington counties in Upstate New York. Matt was introduced to county government by his stepfather who held two elective offices in Washington County – district attorney and judge.
He resides in Arlington County, Virginia with his wife, Shana, where they are raising their two sons, Nicholas and William.
Our Plate Is Full — Don’t Believe the Noise
NACo CEO Matt Chase writes: “Beyond the national midterm election discussion, vital work is being done on a bevy of county priorities, with ample chances for your county’s voice to be heard.”
A Government Close Enough to Touch
NACo CEO Matt Chase writes, "Self-government, including at the county level, has always carried a necessary tension: how do we balance the collective good and the rights of individuals?"
The Promise and Peril Arrive on the Front Lines
NACo CEO Matt Chase writes: "Counties did not ask to be on the front lines of the AI era. But we are. The power demands, the water use, the land battles, the tax base, the workforce changes, the pressure for public services — all of it lands on us first."
Telling the County Infrastructure Story
County budgets are being eroded by unrelenting cost inflation, federal permitting delays stalling projects and competition for labor and materials often directed to federally subsidized state projects. It's time to fix federal funding for infrastructure.
Reflections on federalism at America 250
NACo CEO Matt Chase: "Counties are where federal and state policy stops being policy and starts being real. We are not a delivery mechanism for decisions made elsewhere. We are where American governance actually lives."
Governing in the ‘attention economy’
NACo CEO Matt Chase writes: "County leaders face a new governing challenge: Reaching residents in a world where human attention has become the scarcest resource of all."