Dr. Matt Hastings

Dr. Matt Hastings is the founding executive director of the Nebraska Statewide Workforce & Educational Reporting System (NSWERS). Since 2020, he has guided the organization’s development, working with its Executive Council to establish the governance, policies, and technical infrastructure that support Nebraska’s education-to-workforce data system. He provides strategic leadership for NSWERS and oversees its staff and operations. 

Under his direction, NSWERS connects data from Nebraska’s K–12 schools, colleges and universities, and workforce to generate research and insights about how Nebraskans move through education and into careers. Hastings works closely with the NSWERS Executive Council and Management Committee, which include representatives from the University of Nebraska, Nebraska Department of Education, Nebraska State College System, and the state’s six community colleges. 

Hastings brings more than 20 years of experience spanning education research, program evaluation, data, and technology. Prior to NSWERS, he held leadership roles in statewide K–12 education and in economic and workforce development, where his work focused on using research and data to inform policy, programs, and decision making.

A three-time graduate of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Hastings holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science and a doctoral degree in survey research and methodology. He lives in Seward, Nebraska, with his wife, Lindsay, and their two daughters, and serves as an elected member of the Seward Public Schools Board of Education.