Matt Cuozzo

Matt Cuozzo, Strategic Partnership Manager, Excelencia in Education

Matt Cuozzo

Chief of Staff

Current Position: 
As Chief of Staff, my role is to serve as a core liaison to support strategic implementation across the organization. Internally, I coordinate communication across teams, support organization-wide strategic planning, and work with our Executive Team and portfolio leads to increase organizational capacity. Externally, I provide oversight for several strategic partnerships, represent the organization at relevant meetings and events, and intentionally engage with affiliates and partners to meet our mission of accelerating Latino student success in higher education.

Past Experiences: 
I began my career as a college success program coach serving low-income and first-generation students. This led me to pursue a graduate degree in Higher Education, where I studied the systemic barriers and opportunities for equity in higher education. During that time, I interned for Excelencia, contributing to our work on College Completion through a Latino Lens. Most recently I worked at a community college implementing models of academic support, peer mentorship, engagement, and personal growth for 650+ students yearly, both dual enrollment high school students and college scholarship recipients.

Why are you bringing your talent to Excelencia
I am committed to a future that prioritizes and recognizes the strengths of Black and Brown students. While I have significant experience serving students directly, I have the opportunity in my current role to contribute to a broader awareness and help build coalitions in ways that empower Latino students and communities. In everything I do, I try to help advance racial equity on a national scale.

How would you describe working at Excelencia?
Excelencia’s power is its people. We know that the community we serve always comes first. Whether we’re collaborating to develop an innovative approach to help institutions transform, or whether we’re playing lotería during a team holiday party, we uplift, challenge, and inspire one other.