Matt Horton

Matt Horton is vice president of research and policy at the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation. Over the past fifteen years, he has worked to direct research-driven programs and initiatives to develop public policy that impacts housing production and infrastructure finance, enhances access to capital, creates jobs, and other economic development strategies. Previously, he was director of the California Center at the Milken Institute, where he produced research, programs, and events designed to inform and activate innovative economic policy solutions to support job creation and infrastructure development to support resilient growth. Earlier in his career, he worked for the Southern California Association of Governments, the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization. There, he served as the primary point of contact for external and government affairs, coordinating regional policy development with local elected officials and state and federal stakeholders. In this role, he developed plans with leaders across Southern California to plan for growth, build resiliency, and improve quality of life throughout the region. He is a senior advisor for the Milken Institute and a member of the California Economic Mobility and Entrepreneurship task force, and he participates on a number of advisory boards, including the PPIC Economic Policy Center Advisory Council, Lift to Rise, WorkingNation, and Abundant Housing Los Angeles. He earned an MA in political science from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA in history from Azusa Pacific University.