Department alum uses English degree as launch pad for life
By Lindsey Kennedy
Create your own opportunities. Decide what you want, and go for it. For 1973 Miami graduate Jeanne Matson, these words encompass the essence of her long, prosperous career.
Matson—an English major, CEO, and generous donor to the English Department—came to college as an undeclared major. It didn’t take her long, however, to realize her passion for English. “I went into English because I thought it was such an enriching, stimulating environment,” she said.
The Warren, Ohio native can still vividly remember her small first-year honors English class of approximately eight students, including the future Poet Laureate of the United States Rita Dove.
“I really loved English…for me, the liberal arts education philosophy is all about taking what you love and enjoy to gain personal growth and learning,” said Matson.
From the close connection to the English professors to delving deep into the literary world, Matson felt fortunate to find her niche. One of her favorite memories involves spending Saturday evenings at professors’ homes with fellow classmates, discussing authors such as D.H. Lawrence.
“That was such a great growth period in my life and such a pivotal time…those really were the best years,” Matson said.
Looking back, no one—including Matson—could have guessed the opportunities that awaited her after graduation. Her career path started when she answered an ad in the Cincinnati Enquirer. Working for the advertising and public relations director of a trucking/shipping company, Matson edited the monthly company newspaper.
“I literally got the job because they assumed that since I was an English major, I could read and write,” said Matson, laughing.
Of course the company assumed right, and her career took off from there. Matson went on to obtain her MBA in marketing from Xavier University and later landed a job with Bristol-Myers Squibb, working for the hair product division known as Clairol. During her 30 years at Clairol (now owned by Procter & Gamble), Matson served as vice president for marketing for their domestic division and later as the general manager for their professional division, which makes products specifically for salons.
Matson, who currently resides in Connecticut with her husband and two high school-aged children, switched things up a bit when she made the difficult decision to leave Clairol and take another job after being approached by a headhunter in early 2007.
“When your kids are at a high school age, you want to be around,” said Matson, whose new career allows her to do almost 100 percent of her work at home.
Today Matson serves as the president and CEO of Starnet Worldwide Commercial Flooring Partnership, a membership group of individual companies that purchase and install flooring for commercial buildings.
“One of our members did the flooring at Miami’s Recreational Center, and another member did the Psychology Building,” she said.
Even with her hectic schedule juggling career and family, Matson makes it a point to give back to Miami in more ways than one. Over the past several years, the Miami graduate has generously given major gifts to the English department to enrich the professional lives of faculty. With the help of one of Matson’s recent gifts, a faculty member was recently able to publish a book of poetry. Her generosity allowed another faculty member to attend a national convention where he was honored for writing the “best paper of the year.”
“It feels good to know that I could contribute,” said Matson, who’s been giving to Miami since graduating. “I think it’s leading to greater opportunities and enriching the experience (for Miamians).”
Not only does Matson give of her financial resources, but she also gives of her time. For approximately five years, Matson has served on the College of Arts and Science Advisory Council with other Miami graduates who work together to strengthen the College and to support its role within Miami. Matson enjoys visiting the campus year after year and interacting with the students. For her, it’s all about giving back to the place that gave so much to her as a young adult.
“(College) is a launch pad for the future,” Matson said. “I think a lot of the skills that I learned and the things that I did at Miami, not just academically, provided me with the starting point to create a career for myself.”