Matt Blomstedt, Nebraska’s former commissioner of ÆßÃõ¼º½ and a lifelong Nebraskan with decades of experience in ÆßÃõ¼º½ and public policy, has been named the University of Nebraska’s next associate vice president for government relations, President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., announced.
Blomstedt, currently a principal at Foresight Law + Policy, a Washington, D.C.-based ÆßÃõ¼º½ law firm, will begin his new role Oct. 1.
As associate vice president, Blomstedt will serve as the university’s chief lobbyist and will represent the NU System to the Governor’s office, Nebraska Legislature, agencies of state government, and Congress and federal agencies. He will work closely with government relations leads across the university campuses to build productive relationships with government officials and other community leaders, and will advise the president, Board of Regents and senior NU leadership on all government relations matters.
“I’m very pleased to welcome Dr. Matt Blomstedt to our team,” Dr. Gold said. “As a native Nebraskan and University of Nebraska alum, Matt knows our state and university well, and he has built strong and trusted relationships that will serve us as he advocates for our students, faculty and staff. I look forward to the leadership and energy that I know Matt will bring to the University of Nebraska.”
Dr. Gold credited the search committee, chaired by Dr. Chris Kratochvil, interim vice president for external relations for the NU System and vice chancellor for external relations for the University of Nebraska Medical Center, for its work in evaluating candidates. Dr. Kratochvil was joined on the search committee by Matt Hammons, assistant vice president and director of federal relations for the NU System; Erin Cooper, assistant director for government relations for the NU System; Victoria Kohout, chief of external relations for the University of Nebraska at Omaha; and Jeff Kratz, director of government relations for UNMC.
“As a committee, we were impressed by Matt’s extensive breadth of leadership experience, his deep policy knowledge, and most importantly, his passion for ÆßÃõ¼º½ and the success of every Nebraska student,” Dr. Kratochvil said. “He will be great fit in leading government relations work across the University of Nebraska System. I’m excited to have him on board.”
Blomstedt said: “I am excited to help advance the University mission and Dr. Gold’s vision. Nebraska is a special place and the University provides many important pillars for the success of the state’s ÆßÃõ¼º½ and economic future. I hope to bring my talents and experiences, many that I owe to my ÆßÃõ¼º½ at NU, to this important role. I’m excited to join a group of dedicated and talented people that share this passion from the regents through the whole system and campus communities.”
From 2014 to 2023, Blomstedt was Nebraska’s commissioner of ÆßÃõ¼º½, providing leadership for the state’s school system and serving as the administrative head of the Department of Education, responsible for an agency with 530 employees and a $2 billion budget. As commissioner, Blomstedt championed ÆßÃõ¼º½ issues with a broad range of stakeholders, including policymakers at the local, state and national levels.
He led the development of a new assessment and accountability policy that supported improved ÆßÃõ¼º½al expectations and outcomes, and launched multi-agency efforts to share data for crucial state policy functions in ÆßÃõ¼º½, health and workforce from early childhood through postsecondary ÆßÃõ¼º½. Blomstedt also led the Department of Education through the pandemic, establishing protocols for students to safely return to school by fall 2020.
Previous to his service as commissioner, Blomstedt was executive director of the Nebraska Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council, which organizes statewide programs and services to maximize opportunities for students and schools. He has also served as a research analyst for the Legislature’s Education Committee and executive director of the Nebraska Rural Community Schools Association, among other roles touching ÆßÃõ¼º½, policy and law.
Blomstedt is a product of Nebraska’s K-12 public schools and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, master’s in community and regional planning, and Ph.D. in ÆßÃõ¼º½al leadership and higher ÆßÃõ¼º½ all from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.