Matt Bartlett
March 20, 2018
Matt, his wife Lindsey, and their two boys (2017).
Matt lives in Kansas City with his wife Lindsey and two sons, Jack and Ty. Matt’s family is his world and there’s nothing he enjoys more than spending time with his two boys. Professionally, he has over eight years of experience working in account management and marketing strategy for B2C (business-to-consumer) and B2B (business-to-business) companies. He currently works in marketing strategy at Cerner Corporation, where their mission is to contribute to the systemic improvement of health care delivery and the health of communities.
What year did you graduate and what was your concentration?
I graduated in December 2009 with a concentration in Public Communication.
What extra-/co-curricular activities did you do?
I was very involved in Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF) and intramural sports.
Did you go to grad school? If so, where? Was it immediately after you left Truman or did you wait? Why?
No, I didn’t go to grad school. I don’t have any plans to do so.
What was your first job after graduation?
Right after graduation, I took a position as Account Director at a tech startup called Fresh ID. We specialized in branding, website design/build, UX (user experience) design, social marketing, and live online events.
What work do you do/What are you doing now?
Most of my career has been in account service at marketing agencies. Currently, I’m a Senior Communications Partner at Cerner in Kansas City. I’m on the Brand Experience team. My specific role is focused on brand strategy and positioning, brand architecture, and solution/service naming.
How has your Liberal Arts/COMM education helped you?
Most marketing roles, outside of graphic design, require a very broad set of skills and ability to do many things well. There are times, especially in the agency world, where you need to fill a role that you aren’t necessarily trained for or specialized in. The education I received at Truman prepared me very well for this since it forced me to take classes and get interested in things I wasn’t necessarily focused on. Receiving an education that was broader and less specialized has been very beneficial.
Matt and Lindsey at a football game (2008).
The focus of the COMM department and the path I took in getting a Communication degree set me apart from other recent grads I was competing with right out of college. Most grads from other schools were very focused on media or PR as a specialty. Being able to discuss communication theory and understand why people communicate in certain ways, in addition to understanding PR, media, marketing, etc., was of great value.
Which class did you dislike at the time you took it, but now you’re grateful you took it?
It was Publication Design and Layout, a class on basic graphic design taught by Don Krause. I am terrible at design and it’s something I’d never done before. I wasn’t interested in doing it; however, having a basic understanding of the programs and the thinking behind good design was beneficial immediately. As a marketer, I have to work very closely with designers daily. Even though it was a very light introduction to graphic design, it helped me communicate better with the designers on the team. And in an absolute emergency, I knew my way around the programs well enough to pitch in if needed.
What was your greatest accomplishment at Truman?
Can I say graduating? 
Matt and Lindsey at graduation (2009).
I think navigating through the process and actually landing in a career that I love is fitting. I changed my major three times. Being encouraged to try new things and having to take classes outside of my major at the time was important to finding the right fit. I know a lot of people that started down one path, were never pushed to explore new things, and hate their jobs. I’m glad I was able to avoid that.
Why is Truman a good place for a student to study?
Matt and Lindsey (2009).
There are so many things about Truman that could be listed here. It’s amazing how well-known Truman is. Truman’s reputation is a great benefit when trying to land that first job out of school.
The single thing that stood out the most to me while I was there was the individual attention from professors. Not just professors in your specific department, but in all departments. I think the largest class I had was just under 100 people, and I only had one class that big. Being in a class of 15-20 people instead of a class of 100-200 people is a huge advantage. I cannot overstate how much of a positive impact that has on a student’s ability to learn.
What would you say a COMM student should absolutely do while at Truman?
Get involved in organizations, both in the COMM department and outside of it. One of the things I regret most is not being very involved in COMM programs outside of class. I missed out on additional development and networking opportunities. It’s also important to find something to be passionate about that isn’t directly tied to education. For me, it was CCF. For many, it’s Greek life. It doesn’t matter what it is, as long as it’s something you can be passionate about.
What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the same line of work as you?
Get a Business Administration minor or Computer Science minor. We do a lot of creative work, but there’s no substitute for being able to understand how a business works. Everything we do is tied to technology. I personally think everyone should learn to code. Even if it’s at a basic level, knowing how to code will set you apart and is extremely helpful over the course of a career in marketing.
Matt and friends at a football game (2007).
What do you miss most about campus/Kirksville?
Truman and Kirksville, in my opinion, are just the perfect size for young adults to learn and develop. There were always things to do on campus or in town, but it wasn’t a big city that was easy to get lost in. Also, it’s easy to get away to Thousand Hills if needed.
If you could come back to Truman and teach a class for a semester, what would be its title and what would it be about?
I think it would be something focusing on the role of project management in the creative process. Job roles aren’t nearly as siloed as I thought they’d be when I first graduated. I found myself being actively involved in the creative process as a project manager versus simply managing the work of others. Being able to manage and participate in the process at the same time is something I had to do daily when I worked at marketing agencies. It’s something that most people learn on the fly after they graduate.