Matthew Slater, 29

At just 29-years-old, Matthew Slater is New York State Senator Terrence Murphy’s go-to guy, regularly shuffling between Albany and his home base in Yorktown Heights (Senator Murphy’s headquarters is in Jefferson Valley). But working in a position normally reserved for someone with decades of experience is nothing new to Slater, who previously served as the executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party (he did that for a year starting in 2013 before leaving to work on Senator Murphy’s 2014 campaign), as chief of staff to New York State Assemblyman Steve Katz, and as regional director of the Hudson Valley for New York State Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb. Says Christopher Arnold, one of New York State’s top communication specialists and Slater’s co-worker, “There are few people in the business as respected as Matthew Slater, a young individual of superlative character and potential who is always available for our community.” 

Wunderfacts:

• Slater knew he wanted to work in politics a long time ago: “My mom took me to Washington, DC, in the first grade for winter break, and ever since then, I had a passion for politics and wanted to get involved.”

• Highlight of his career so far? “Meeting my wife Kellie, who was working for the Senate while I was working for the Assembly.”

• Ok, but how about professionally? “My role in electing Senator Murphy this past fall.” 

• Key to his success?: “Hard work and not being afraid of failure. It’s always a challenge being the ‘young kid,’ especially in politics, but it has forced me to work that much harder.”

• During his senior year of college (he graduated from Saint Anselm College in ’08), Slater interned for Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaign. He went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from Marist College.