Kathleen Matthews

Kathleen Matthews is the chief communications and public affairs officer for Marriott International, the leading global hotel company with 4,000 properties in more than 70 countries. She is responsible for the company’s global brand public relations, corporate and internal communications, global citizenship and government affairs. She co-chairs Marriott’s Executive Green Council and serves on the company’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council.

As a passionate ambassador for travel, Mrs. Matthews is vice-chair of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board to the Secretary of Commerce. She chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on travel and tourism and serves on the boards of the U.S. Travel Association and International Tourism Partnership.

Mrs. Matthews is a 1975 graduate of Stanford University, and a 2004 Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Prior to her career at Marriott, she was an award winning news anchor at the ABC-TV affiliate in Washington, D.C., for 25 years, and hosted the nationally syndicated “Working Woman” television show. She was awarded top honors during her journalism career, including nine local Emmies. Ms. Matthews is married to MSNBC News host Chris Matthews and they have three grown children.