Founder & Principal

Matt Hennessey

Matt Hennessey founded Onward Strategies LLC in 2017 after his service as an appointee in the Obama administration.

Matt’s career has spanned the worlds of electoral politics, government, and private industry. In the 2020 election cycle, Matt served as Campaign Manager for U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s successful re-election in Michigan’s 8th congressional district. While there, Matt managed a $9.1 million budget, 18 paid staff, and a winning electoral strategy in a gerrymandered Republican district that President Trump also won — making Rep. Slotkin one of seven House Democrats to carry a 2020 Trump district. In the 2018 cycle, Matt led former U.S. Rep. Zack Space’s statewide campaign for Ohio Auditor of State — managing a $2 million budget and five paid staff, and delivering the lowest margin of defeat on the statewide ticket.

At Onward Strategies LLC, Matt has delivered results for a bevy of political clients and causes — including managing successful electoral campaigns like the multi-million dollar Citizens for Columbus State bond issue; managing the effort to draft U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown into the 2020 Democratic primary; and serving as a General Consultant for Our Neighborhoods First, an outside organization supporting Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan’s agenda in the 2021 election cycle. In addition, Onward Strategies LLC has experience working with non-profit clients to advance impactful projects and causes across Ohio — including in the Office of the President at Columbus State Community College and with the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.

Previously, Matt was appointed by President Barack Obama’s administration to serve on the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) — an economic development agency working across 13 Appalachian states. While at ARC, Matt was instrumental in developing the newly-created POWER+ Initiative, a transformative program designed to invest in coal-impacted communities across Appalachian America. At the time of his departure, the program had invested more than $75 million in economic redevelopment activities.

In addition to his business at Onward Strategies LLC, Matt also serves as a Founding Partner at Sunday Creek Horizons, LLC, a firm dedicated to improving the lives of Appalachian Ohioans. He has previously worked in the private sector at a renewable energy company developing solar energy projects across the U.S., and on the fundraising staff of an Ohio gubernatorial campaign.

Matt is a proud Midwesterner who was raised in Columbus, Ohio. He holds a B.A. from The Ohio State University.