Matt Haggman

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Matthew Walsh Haggman (born Feb. 12, 1971) has been a journalist, program director at John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and, most recently, was a candidate for U.S. Congress.

Matt Haggman
Born	Matthew Walsh Haggman (1971-02-12) February 12, 1971 New York City, New York, U.S.
🏡 Residence	Coconut Grove, Florida
🎓 Alma mater	Tulane University (B.A., 1993) Vermont Law School (J.D., 2001)
💼 Occupation
🏡 Home town	Cambridge, Massachusetts
🏛️ Political party	Democratic
👩 Spouse(s)	Danet Linares (m. 2005)

Haggman was born in New York City and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was a staff writer at The Miami Herald from July 2004 to September 2011. Prior to that he was a reporter at the Daily Business Review from December 2001 to July 2004 in Miami. He won numerous journalism awards, including the Gerald Loeb Award, the highest honor in business journalism.

In October 2011 Haggman moved to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to become Miami Program Director. He created and launched a new initiative at the foundation aimed at building Miami’s startup and entrepreneurial community. Over the course of nearly six years he oversaw investment of $28 million to fund and launch a multitude of programs. When he resigned from Knight Foundation in July 2017 to run for Congress he was called “a pioneer [who] has spearheaded the entrepreneurial movement” in South Florida.  

On August 1, 2017 Haggman launched his candidacy for Florida’s 27^th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. In March 2018 former University of Miami President and U.S Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala entered the race. Shalala won the Democratic nomination on August 28, 2018 and the general election on Nov. 6, 2018.  

Early life, education, and early career

Matthew Walsh Haggman was born February 12, 1971 in New York City to Kristen Walsh and Eric Haggman. His parents divorced while he was an infant. Not long after he was born, they moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. Haggman’s mother entered Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. While there she met William Mitchell, also a student at Harvard’s Ed School. They married in 1976. Both graduated from Harvard with doctorates in education in 1979 and are practicing psychologists. Haggman has two siblings from his mother’s marriage to Bill Mitchell, Meghan and Chris. Haggman’s father, Eric, worked as a creative director in advertising before launching his own advertising agency, Haggman Inc. in 1991. That same year Eric Haggman married Emily Fagundo, an advertising and public relations executive. Together, they run the Haggman advertising agency.

Haggman attended public schools throughout his childhood. First, Agassiz School in Cambridge, Mass. from kindergarten through 8^th grade. Then Cambridge Rindge & Latin High School, graduating in 1989. At CRLS, Haggman attended Pilot School, an alternative school within Cambridge’s public high school. His homeroom classmates at Pilot School included actor Matt Damon, Taba Moses (son of civil rights activist Bob Moses) and Ethan Gould (son of paleontologist and writer Stephen Jay Gould). Haggman was a co-captain of the varsity football team and played on the varsity basketball team. CRLS is one of the top high school basketball programs in New England, including graduates Patrick Ewing and Rumeal Robinson.

Haggman attended Tulane University in New Orleans. He majored in History and minored Political Science. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1993. Following graduation, Haggman backpacked through Europe and Middle East. Haggman then pursued writing a biography on New Orleans rhythm and blues pianist Professor Longhair. He moved back to New Orleans. From 1994 to 1998, Haggman worked as a bartender to make ends meet while researching the life of Henry Roeland Byrd, whose stage name was Professor Longhair. The biography remains unfinished.

In 1998, Haggman enrolled at Vermont Law School in South Royalton, Vermont. The law school is known for its focus on environmental law. Haggman served on the Editorial Board of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law and editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper. He graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in May 2001.

The Miami Herald and Daily Business Review (2001-2011)

During law school, Haggman decided he didn’t want to practice law but enter journalism. He accepted a position at the Daily Business Review in Miami as a legal affairs reporter in December 2001.

Notable reporting at the Daily Business Review included a series of stories raising questions about the reliability of the iVotronic touch screen voting machines that were used in Florida following the troubled Bush v. Gore presidential election in 2000. The voting machines were ultimately scrapped in counties across Florida. Haggman also reported from Cuba, writing a lengthy feature on U.S. lawyers who work on the island with the permission of the U.S. government despite the embargo.

In July 2004 he moved to The Miami Herald. He covered real estate, worked as an investigative reporter and covered Miami-Dade County government, one of the largest regional governments in the southeast. He teamed with reporters Jack Dolan and Rob Barry for a series called “Borrowers Betrayed,” which was edited by Michael Sallah. The series revealed the state’s failure to police Florida’s troubled mortgage industry. The series resulted in Florida’s top banking regulator being replaced and consumer protection reforms passed by the Florida Legislature.

Haggman then covered Miami-Dade County government, one of the largest metropolitan governments in the southeast U.S.

His reporting on Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Miami-Dade County commissioners revealed self-dealing and corruption at a time voters were struggling through an ugly recession. The reporting -- which included reporters Martha Brannigan and Jack Dolan and edited by Ronnie Greene -- sparked widespread voter discontent. It contributed to the first defeat of an incumbent county commissioner in sixteen years, Dorrin Rolle, and prompted a voter recall effort of Mayor Alvarez and Commissioner Natacha Seijas led by businessman and philanthropist Norman Braman. Rolle was defeated by Jean Monestime on Nov. 2, 2010. Alvarez and Seijas were recalled by voters on March 15, 2011. By jurisdiction size, Alvarez’s ouster is the largest voter recall of a locally elected politician in U.S. history.

Journalism honors include:

• 2008 and 2009: President’s Award, which honors the best work at The Miami Herald and  McClatchy media company.
• 2009 Gerald Loeb Award
• 2009 National Press Club Award, Consumer Journalism
• 2009 Barlett & Steele Awards for Investigative Business Journalism
• 2009 Scripps Howard National Journalism Award, Ursula and Gilbert Farfel Prize for Investigative Reporting
• 2009 and in 2010, James Batten Award for Public Service, the top honor at the Sunshine State Awards, which recognizes the best journalism in Florida
• 2010, Miami New Times named Haggman the “Best Miami Herald Reporter” in its annual Best of Miami edition  

Knight Foundation (2011-2017)

In October 2011 Haggman moved to Knight Foundation as Miami Program Director. He was given the freedom to think anew about the foundation’s work in Miami. Working with Knight Foundation colleague Ben Wirz, he developed an entirely new strategy aimed at driving social change by building Miami’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Knight Foundation had not previously worked in this area. In Spring 2012, Haggman and Wirz did three small grants to test the idea.

On July 17, 2012 the new initiative was announced in a Miami Herald story, “Knight Foundation adds focus on Miami entrepreneurship.” In an effort to reverse the brain drain in Miami, Haggman said the program aims to “help foster the sense that Miami is a place where ideas are built.”

Over the next five years. Haggman and Wirz sourced and funded the launch or growth of a multitude of programs totaling some $28 million in grant investment. Among them:

• The LAB Miami -  In December 2012, with scant co-working spaces for entrepreneurs in Miami, Haggman made a $250,000 grant to launch a new campus for The LAB Miami In Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood. This included an additional $400,000 investment from private investors in Miami. Since the launch of The LAB Miami, a host of co-working spaces launched across Miami including WeWork (which has opened five locations across Miami) and Cambridge Innovation Center. In 2018, Miami was declared America’s number one city for co-working as a result of measuring co-working space versus total commercial real estate.
• Endeavor Miami - In December 2012 Haggman made a $2 million grant to launch Endeavor Miami, the first Endeavor affiliate in the U.S. As of November 2018, Endeavor Miami companies accounted for 2,200  jobs and revenues of $240 million. It also prompted Endeavor Global, which had been focused on emerging countries around the world, to change its strategy and open affiliates across the U.S, and in more established economies around the world, including Japan and Italy. The launch of Endeavor Miami was the subject of a Harvard Business School case study and mentioned in a second HBS case study by Rosabeth Moss Kanter. Currently, Endeavor Miami is co-chaired by Adriana Cisneros and Daniel Echavarria. Haggman sits on the Endeavor Miami board.
• Refresh Miami - In May 2013 made a $150,000 grant to support the growth of Refresh Miami, which convenes monthly meetups, workshops and hackathons across Miami.
• Miami Angels - In June 2014 made a $211,000 grant to re-launch Miami Angels, then known as Accelerated Growth Partners. As part of the grant, installed new leadership at the South Florida angel investor network.  
• The Idea Center at Miami Dade College - In September 2014 made a $2.18 million grant to support the launch of The Idea Center at Miami Dade College. This is a center for student and community entrepreneurs at the largest and most diverse campus-based college in the U.S.
• Launchcode South Florida - In December 2014 made a $1.25 million grant to start Launchcode South Florida, the first expansion city for the non-profit started in St. Louis by Square co-founder Jim McKelvey. Launchcode provides training, apprenticeships and job training at low-cost with a particular emphasis on under-represented groups in Miami.
• eMerge Americas - In December 2014 made a $1.5 million grant to support the growth eMerge Americas. The grant followed an initial seed investment of $250,000, when eMerge was an idea.
• Project Interchange - In March 2015 Haggman, with Brian Siegal of American Jewish Committee, funded and led a Project Interchange program bringing Miami entrepreneurs to Israel, widely considered the world’s leading center of innovation after Silicon Valley. Haggman and Siegal led delegations to Israel in 2015 and 2016. The initial trip resulted in the launch of the Startup Nation conference at Miami Dade College, which includes Israeli and South Florida entrepreneurs.
• Startupbootcamp Miami - September 2015 made a $2 million grant to launch Startupbootcamp’s first accelerator in the U.S. Startupbootcamp is among the leading the accelerators in Europe. The Miami accelerator is focused on healthcare.
• Babson College’s Women Innovating Now Lab Miami - December 2015 made an $800,000 grant to launch Babson College’s Women Innovating Now Lab in Miami. This was the first expansion city for the WIN Lab, which was founded in Boston.
• Girls Who Code - December 2015 Haggman made a $500,000 grant to support the growth of Girls Who Code in Miami, which provides coding programs for high school age girls.
• Black Tech Week - December 2016  made a $1.2 million grant to support the growth of Black Tech Week, which is focused on empowering entrepreneurs of color.
• NewMe Accelerator - March 2017 funded  the launch of NewME Accelerator in Miami,  which is focused on supporting women and entrepreneurs of color.
• 500 Startups Miami - Haggman made multiple grants supporting 500 Startups activity in Miami, ultimately resulting in the accelerator establishing a permanent presence in the city in 2017.
• Venture for America - Funded the launch Venture for America in MIami. The program pairs recent college graduates with startups in two-year cities across the U.S.  

The work helped create thousands of jobs but also resulted in other startup-related organizations choosing to launch in South Florida as well. Among them, Las Olas Venture Capital opened in Fort Lauderdale in 2015. Cambridge Innovation Center and Venture Cafe launched in Miami in 2016. The Venture City, an accelerator and VC fund, launched in Miami in 2017. Magnetico Ventures, a VC fund, launched in Miami in 2018.

The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce awarded Haggman its Alvah H. Chapman, Jr. Award of Excellence, Young Leader in 2015. Haggman received the Community Champion Award in 2017 from BME Community, which supports groundbreaking leaders across the U.S. The Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce, which supports the Black business community in South Florida, awarded Haggman its Citizen of the Year Award in 2017.

U.S. Congressional Campaign (2017-2018)

Following the election of Donald Trump, Haggman decided to run for Congress as a Democrat in Florida's 27th Congressional District election, 2018. He initially planned to run for the Democratic nomination with the aim of challenging long-time Republican incumbent Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. But on April 30, 2017 Ros-Lehtinen said she was stepping down after nearly 30 years in Congress. A host of Democrats announced plans to run for the open seat. On August 1, 2018 Haggman formally announced his candidacy at a launch event at the Building.CO co-working space in Miami.

Haggman’s campaign theme was “Time for a New Day.” He called for gun safety legislation, comprehensive immigration reform, Medicare for All, transitioning to an economy powered by renewable energy and increased environmental protection, spurring greater entrepreneurship and building a 21st economy that gives everyone a fair shot, investing in public education and expanded vocational opportunities, ending the student debt crisis, protecting Social Security and Medicare, fighting for women’s rights and the freedom to choose, criminal justice reform including ending private prisons. He said we must “reinvigorate the values that have made America the envy of the world.”  

“I do think that people are looking for new voices and new ideas in our politics, and, in particular, are looking for leaders who are focused on solving problems,” Haggman told the Business Journal. “ I want to bring that same can-do spirit [from the Knight Foundation] to politics.”

In June 2018, Haggman’s campaign gained attention after the first televised advertisement aired. The advertisement addressed his call to disband Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of comprehensive immigration reform.

Haggman was the only candidate who pledged that he would not accept funds from any political action committees. He launched a ground campaign led by more than 50 campaign fellows who knocked on more than 50,000 doors across the district. In January 2018 Haggman led all candidates in fundraising.  

In March, former Clinton cabinet secretary and University of Miami President Donna Shalala jumped in to the race. She won the Democratic nomination on Aug. 28, 2018. Shalala then defeated Republican nominee Maria Elvira Salazar on Nov. 6, 2018.

In the 2018 general election, Haggman supported Shalala, He also supported congressional candidates Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Mary Barzee Flores, along with gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.

Personal Life

In Jan. 2002, Haggman met Danet Linares, daughter of Elvia and Max Linares. Fleeing the Castro dictatorship, Linares’ parents immigrated to the U.S. from Cuba in December 1966, coming through the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami. Haggman and Linares were married on Dec. 2, 2005. They live in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood. They have two dogs, Henry and Abigail.

Danet is a community leader and leading commercial real estate broker in Miami. She is vice chairman of Blanca Commercial Real Estate. She is a member and chapter board member of International Women’s Forum. She is a board member of the Miami Downtown Development Authority. She previously served on the board of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Miami.

Community Involvement

Haggman has been a mentor through Big Brother Big Sister of Greater Miami for more than a decade. He has mentored Joshua Jobe since Jobe was nine years old. In the Fall of 2018, Jobe enrolled at the University of Alabama on a football scholarship. He is a defensive back on the University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team, among the most successful college football programs in NCAA history.

Haggman currently serves on the boards of Endeavor Miami, New World Symphony and the Florida Advisory Board of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

Previously he served on a host of boards, including The LAB Miami, one of the first co-working spaces to launch in Miami; The Underline, a ten mile linear park that is under construction across metropolitan Miami; and Frost Science, a science museum and aquarium in downtown Miami. He was co-chair of One Community One Goal from 2014 to 2016, an effort led by The Beacon Council, the Miami-Dade County economic development agency. He was also founding member of TEDxMiami, which presented programs to audiences from 2010 to 2013.  

References

This article "Matt Haggman" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Matt Haggman. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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