Elizabeth Matto

Elizabeth C. Matto is a Research Professor and teacher-scholar-practitioner of democratic education. On September 1, 2023, she was appointed Director of the Eagleton Institute of Politics. Matto earned her Ph.D. in American Politics from George Washington University, a Bachelor’s Degree from Mount St. Mary’s College (Los Angeles, CA), and is a recipient of the Harry S. Truman Award (Nevada, 1990).

A member of the faculty of the Eagleton Institute of Politics for fifteen years, she has served as the Director of Eagleton’s Center for Youth Political Participation (CYPP), leading research as well as educational and public service efforts designed to encourage and support the political learning of high school and college students and civic action among young adults, including those holding and running for office. These projects include: RU Ready, a civic engagement initiative designed to provide high school students with the tools and encouragement to be civically and politically engaged in their communities; RU Voting, a project focused upon engaging Rutgers students and college students around the country in local, state, and national elections; and the Young Elected Leaders Project, research regarding young people serving in public office nationwide at all levels of government.

In 2022, Matto was invited to serve on a Presidential Task Force for the American Political Science Association focused on rethinking the political science major. She served as the chair the American Political Science Association’s Distinguished Award for Civic and Community Engagement Committee in 2022 and 2023 at the invitation of the Association’s President and Executive Director. For Rutgers University, Matto serves as the co-chair of the Presidential Employee Excellence Committee created by Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway as well as the co-chair for the Presidential Task Force on Civic Engagement and Public Service. She also serves as President Holloway’s delegate on civic learning initiatives organized by the Institute for Citizens and Scholars including the Faculty Institute on Dialogue Across Difference and Civil Discourse in the Classroom.

Matto served as the lead editor on the American Political Science Association’s publications Teaching Civic Engagement Across the Disciplines (2017) and Teaching Civic Engagement Globally (2021) and created the text’s companion website, a resource for educators who want to include political learning techniques in their curriculum. She is the author of the book, Citizen Now: Engaging in Politics and Democracy (Manchester University Press, 2017) and To Keep the Republic: Thinking, Talking, and Acting Like a Democratic Citizen (Rutgers University Press, 2024).

In 2016, Matto was awarded the Craig L. Brians Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research & Mentorship by the American Political Science Association, given to faculty members who demonstrate commitment to and excellence in encouraging and developing scholarship among undergraduate students, and in mentoring undergraduate students in preparation for graduate school or public affairs related careers. She also was named the American Political Science Association’s Member of the Month in May, 2017.

Prior to her work at Eagleton, Matto taught a variety of courses at Princeton University, Temple University, and George Washington University.