Matthew A. Thomas started as the Workforce Development Director for the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber on May 10, 2021.
From 2018 until he joined the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber, Matthew led Economic Development for the City of Alpharetta, one of Georgia’s largest cities. Matthew helped bring in more than $800M in economic development projects, which led to more than two million square feet of new office development and more than 700 jobs added and retained. His contributions furthered Alpharetta’s market position as a leading corporate headquarters and technology hub in the Southeastern U.S.
Matthew has not only managed financial incentive programs for recruitment and expansion projects but also facilitated complete branding and marketing campaigns, helped create award-winning websites, and guided strategic plan development.
Before joining the City of Alpharetta, Matthew worked in Economic Development for the City of Canton, helping create new citywide branding and leading initiatives in small business growth, downtown strategic planning and revitalization.
In his ten years in economic development, Matthew has also worked at the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce, the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce, and the Metro Atlanta Chamber where he strategically worked on building metro Atlanta’s technology ecosystem. Additionally, he also wrote an award-winning grant to the Environmental Protection Agency to help revitalize portions of abandoned industrial park areas in Chattanooga.
He is a graduate of the University of West Georgia and a native of Dalton.
When he is not pursuing his passion for economic development, Matthew spends his time pursuing another passion of his: music. He is a music producer, jazz pianist, and leads the Music Ministry at Community Fellowship Church in Dalton.
Matthew, his wife Keona, and their 8-month-old daughter, Ida, live in Calhoun.
View Matthew's Resume
Matthew A. Thomas started as the Workforce Development Director for the Cartersville-Bartow Chamber on May 10, 2021.