Matt Schmit
Director, Illinois Office of Broadband
Twitter: @MattPSchmit
Matt Schmit is the Director of the Illinois Office of Broadband and Chair of the Illinois Broadband Advisory Council where he oversees Governor JB Pritzker’s ambitious Connect Illinois initiative, including $420 million for broadband capital investment and digital equity programming.
Between 2013 and 2016, Matt represented his hometown of Red Wing and the surrounding areas in the Minnesota State Senate. He served as chair of the Game & Fish Subcommittee; vice chair of the Jobs, Agriculture & Rural Development Committee; and as an active member on the Transportation Policy & Finance Conference Committee, Energy & Environment, Capital Investment, and Environment, Economic Development & Agriculture Finance committees.
Additionally, Matt has served on the Cook County Council on Digital Equity (CODE), the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI) board, the Blandin Broadband Strategies board, the St John's University Board of Regents, and the Legislative Water Commission. He represented Minnesota on the National Conference of State Legislators Nuclear Energy Work Group and Commerce Committee. He was also an active member of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators and State Ag and Rural Leaders.
Matt is the three time recipient of the League of Minnesota Cities “Legislator of Distinction” award, 2014 “Broadband Hero” for the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisers (NATOA), and “Tech Savvy Legislator” recognition from Government Technology magazine.
