Rising Stars 40 Under 40: Matthew Wing

Matthew Wing
Age: 28
Deputy Communications Director for New York City, Executive Chamber of the State of New York

Matt Wing

For a Democrat, Matthew Wing’s entry into New York politics was somewhat unconventional: After graduating college, he won a Senate fellowship that landed him a job working for the Republicans under Joe Bruno. This was during Eliot Spitzer’s first few months as governor, when tension between the Legislature and the Executive Chamber—and between Democrats and Republicans—was at an all-time high.

“It was an eye-opening and invaluable experience to work with people I didn’t match up with,” he says, “to know where we were different and where we were the same.”
From there Wing took a job with then Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, his once and future boss. He got to see Cuomo in action uncovering fraud and corruption in the student-loan business, and was inspired.

After a stint on the Obama campaign, Wing was invited to lunch by then Councilman Bill de Blasio, who was considering jumping into the race for public advocate. De Blasio convinced Wing to join his “motley crew” on the campaign, a decision Wing says helped prepare him for the job he has today.

“Now I’m in month seven,” he said. “It was a tough decision…. I love it. Everything we do, we do it big, and we push all the way.”

How did your past jobs get you to where you are now?
“Every job I have had has taught me something new and introduced me to incredible, smart people in this work. Each new opportunity always stems from those two things.”

If you were not working in politics, what would you be doing?
“I would want to work for NPR. I love NPR. I listen to it all the time.”

Five years from now, what will it say on your business card?
“ ‘Third member of Hall and Oates and Wing.’ ”

If you could have a superpower, what would it be, and why?
“Superspeed. I want to be able to run back and forth to Albany really fast.”