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Jake Matilsky

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Jake Matilsky is a Democratic activist and the founding director of the Center for Secure and Modern Elections, a left-of-center voter advocacy group created by the New Venture Fund. Matilsky worked for Organizing for Action, J Street, and ran Montana Voices and Montana Votes, a pair of umbrella organizations for left-of-center activist groups. According to his LinkedIn profile, his listed experience only goes up to 2015 with his “about” section only stating, “advisor to non profits.” 1

Education

Jake Matilsky was raised in New Jersey and was home-schooled. He attended Finger Lakes Community College in New York before transferring to Columbia University’s School of General Studies in 2007. 2 In 2009, Matilsky graduated from Columbia University with a degree in political science. He was a member of Students for a Democratic Society, the Columbia Coalition for Students Against the War, and Students for Justice in the Middle East, and actively protested against military interventions in the Middle East. 3 Matilsky was also a member and get-out-the-vote organizer for the school’s College Democrats club. 4

Matilsky has traveled in Chile and the Middle East,5 and earned a language certificate for Arabic from the University of Wisconsin. 6

Career

Prior to attending Columbia, Jake Matilsky worked as a ranch hand in Kansas and then as a firefighter for the National Park Service in Kings Canyon National Park. 7

In 2010, Matilsky worked for three months as a field organizer for Organize for America, now known as Organizing for Action, a left-of-center activist group founded to support President Barack Obama’s policy initiatives. Starting in late 2010, Matilsky served as a volunteering coordinator fellow for Michael Hancock’s (D-Denver) successful mayoral campaign. 8

In 2011, Matilsky became northeast regional organizer for J Street, a left-of-center lobbying group focused on Israeli-American relations. Over the course of a year, Matilsky trained staff at thirteen chapters and established for more chapters. For three months, Matilsky also worked as voter outreach manager for Minka vanBeuzekom’s (D-Cambridge) successful campaign for city council of Cambridge, Massachusetts. 9

From 2012 to 2015, Matilsky served as executive director of Montana Votes and Montana Voices, two organizations that led a coalition of 28 left-of-center advocacy groups. In 2014, he also worked as campaign manager for Montanans for Free and Fair Elections, $1.9 million campaign that defeated a ballot initiative to eliminate the option for Montanans to register to vote up until 8 P.M. on Election Day. 10

Starting in 2015, Matilsky acquired a leadership role at State Strategies LLC, a lobbying firm based in Portland, Oregon. Matilsky’s LinkedIn lists him as CEO of the company from 2015 through 2020,11 but the firm’s registration forms with the Oregon Secretary of State list Matilsky as an “inactive” agent and manager. 12 State Strategies’s website does not mention Matilsky. 13

At some point from 2016 onward, Matilsky became a founding director of the Center for Secure and Modern Elections, a left-wing voter advocacy group created by the New Venture Fund. 14 Matalisky lists his employer as the New Venture Fund with the Federal Election Commission. 15

Matilsky is also an advisor for Vote at Home, an left-progressive group pushing for vote-by-mail. 16

Political Contributions

In 2018, Jake Matilsky gave $250 to the reelection campaign of Senator Jon Tester (D-MT). In 2020, Matilsky gave $500 to the presidential campaign of Joe Biden (D). 17

References

  1. “Jake Matilsky.” LinkedIn, Accessed June 27, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-matilsky-04613024
  2. “Columbia Daily Spectator, Volume CXXXIII, Number 69, 20 May 2009.” Columbia Daily Spectator. May 20, 2009. Accessed September 25, 2020. http://spectatorarchive.library.columbia.edu/cgi-bin/columbia?a=d&d=cs20090520-01.2.11&.
  3. Levi, Scott. “Senior Profile: Jacob Matilsky, GS.” Daily Columbia Spectator. March 27, 2013. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.columbiaspectator.com/2009/05/19/senior-profile-jacob-matilsky-gs/.
  4. “Jacob Matilsky Resume.” Wikileaks. Accessed September 25, 2020.
  5. Levi, Scott. “Senior Profile: Jacob Matilsky, GS.” Daily Columbia Spectator. March 27, 2013. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.columbiaspectator.com/2009/05/19/senior-profile-jacob-matilsky-gs/.
  6. “Jake Matilsky.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-matilsky-04613024/.
  7. “Jake Matilsky.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-matilsky-04613024/.
  8. “Jake Matilsky.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-matilsky-04613024/.
  9. “Jake Matilsky.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-matilsky-04613024/.
  10. “Jacob Matilsky.” Wikileaks. Accessed September 25, 2020.
  11. “Jake Matilsky.” LinkedIn. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jake-matilsky-04613024/.
  12. “State Strategies LLC.” OpenCorporates. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_or/112675699.
  13. “Our Story.” State Strategies. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://statesstrategies.com/our-story/.
  14. “Circle of Advisors.” Vote at Home. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://voteathome.org/about-us/.
  15. “Donor Lookup: Jacob Matilsky.” Open Secrets. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=Jacob+Matilsky.
  16. “Circle of Advisors.” Vote at Home. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://voteathome.org/about-us/.
  17. “Circle of Advisors.” Vote at Home. Accessed September 25, 2020. https://voteathome.org/about-us/.
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