Dr. Matt Hastings
Dr. Matt Hastings was hired as the Executive Director for the Nebraska Statewide Workforce & Educational Reporting System (NSWERS) in September 2020.
Hastings brings over 16 years of experience working at the nexus of educational research, program evaluation, and information technology. Prior to NSWERS, he held leadership positions in statewide K-12 education and economic and workforce development.
As Executive Director, Hastings establishes core operational capacities, directs a team of dedicated NSWERS staff, and creates the procedural and technical structures necessary for the creation and maintenance of an NSWERS data system. Hastings works closely with the NSWERS Executive Council and the NSWERS Management Committee, which includes representatives from the NSWERS partner entities; the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska Department of Education, the Nebraska State College System, and the six Nebraska community colleges.
A three-time graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Hastings holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in political science, and a doctoral degree in survey research & methodology. He is a resident of Seward, NE where he lives with his wife, Lindsay, and two daughters, Lilly and Anna.
Get to Know Matt
What author, researcher, or scientist is most influential to you in your work at NSWERS?
Robert M. Groves and W. Edwards Deming due to their groundbreaking work in data quality and process improvement.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a police officer.
What hobby did you pick up or master during the pandemic?
Pressure canning. I’ve canned jams, pickles, minced meat, sweet potatoes, carrots, beans, corn, tomatoes, stocks, stews, and more.
If I wasn’t in my field of work, I would probably be:
Involved in the agriculture industry.