Matt Lira
Special Assistant to the President for Innovation Policy and Initiatives, Office of American Innovation
The White House
Matt is currently at the White House Office of American Innovation, where he works to coordinate priority policy initiatives for the office. For the past decade, Matt’s work has placed him at the crosssection of politics, government and the emerging digital economy. With a unique mixture of experiences in Congressional Leadership and national campaigns, he has gained first-hand insight into our nation’s political and governing institutions.
Previously, Matt has served as Senior Advisor to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Digital Director for then-VP Nominee Paul Ryan and a Senior Advisor to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. In these capacities, he served on the senior leadership staff, participated in daily strategy discussions on the issues facing the House of Representatives and worked to modernize Congressional institutions.
Prior to returning to government, Lira served as the Deputy Executive Director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 2014 election cycle – successfully defending every Republican Senate seat and gained nine seats, the largest Senate gain by either party since 1980. Throughout his work in government, Lira has aimed to forge trust and consensus by bringing people together to find areas where progress can be made. In an era of deep partisanship, his work has frequently earned the support of both sides of the aisle.
In 2015, Matt served as an Institute of Politics Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, focused on the impact of the digital economy on politics and governance. In 2012, Matt was recognized by Tech Crunch as one of the “20 Most Innovative People in Democracy.”