Matt Shay - Class of 1980

Matt Shay grew up with a sense of appreciation and pride for NCHS. His family was committed and engaged in the community, encouraging growth and full of grace. Many friends and unique opportunities in the small, but mighty, school is what he remembers most. He was Student Council President, played football and ran track. One of his best memories was being part of the 1978 state championship team coached by J.D. Graham. It was the time of “3-a-days”, perseverance, and grit.His rigorous course studies were humbling as he found himself ineligible to play at one time, but he dug in his heels, and picked himself back up: a lesson that served him well in college and career.

Upon graduation, Matt attended Wittenburg for English, then to OSU for his law degree. Finding

himself toward the bottom of his class after his first year, he “cleaned up his mess” to graduate in the top 25% after a couple of years. Later, he also went on to earn his MBA from Georgetown University. He attributes NC to giving him the ability to learn from mistakes, being given second chances and resilience to his successes post high school. Matt went on to work at the State Capital before moving to Washington DC for his career in various roles at International Franchise Association. Now, he is President and CEO at National Retailers Federation, where he attends many business events around the world in an ever-changing landscape of ecommerce, digital, and AI influenced industries. You may catch him on CNN or Bloomberg Television, among others, and find more information at www.nrf.com.

Residing in Virginia with his wife, Alison, he continues to follow in his faith and chose Catholic

education for his three beautiful children. Reminded of how special and unique Newark Catholic truly is, Matt went on to say, “Newark Catholic taught him that he could always be out-smarted, but never outworked!”