Matthew Harris

As Business & Community Partnerships Manager for the Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART), Harris works to generate private sector revenue for the agency by expanding access to transportation through partnerships with employers and community organizations. In this role, he manages relationships with businesses and corporations, oversees mobility coordination and outreach initiatives to local human service agencies and leads fundraising strategy for the agency’s art in transit initiatives.

Harris came to DART after nearly 15 years in public administration and the nonprofit sector following positions with the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and Des Moines Performing Arts.

Harris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications/Public Relations from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) and is a 2013 Business Record Forty Under 40 honoree, a 2013 recipient of the UNI Distinguished Young Alumnus Award and a 2010 graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute. His professional and volunteer service on local, state and national boards has included the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, the Les Hale Endowment Fund, Cedar Falls Community Main Street, the University of Northern Iowa Central Iowa Alumni Club and the Governor Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University. He currently serves as a member of the Arts Midwest Executive Committee. He resides in Des Moines.