Matthew McKean holds a PhD in History from Queen's University, Kingston, and is an Adjunct Research Professor in the Department of History at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he has taught since 2008. He is also Associate Director of Education at the Conference Board of Canada, where he directs the research program and leads stakeholder relations for a multi-year initiative that examines the advanced skills and education challenges facing Canada today. Matthew leads the Conference Board's long-standing and distinguished executive network of university provosts and vice-presidents from across Canada.
Matthew writes for a wide audience on a diverse range of topics. In addition to Conference Board reports on post-secondary education, he writes obituaries for The Globe & Mail, music reviews for Exclaim! magazine, and has written op-eds for The Globe, The National Post, The Toronto Star, The Ottawa Citizen, The Hill Times, rabble.ca, Popmatters, and This Magazine. He is a board member of the Ottawa International Writer's Festival and was recently appointed to the National Advisory Committee for the Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Education.