Matt Hogans is Milwaukee born and raised, with a global career rooted in leadership, resilience, and impact. For more than a decade, he served as a Global Director of Operations and Enterprise Resilience, leading crisis response efforts and building operational frameworks for Fortune 500 organizations across 80 countries. In 2024, he returned home with a renewed sense of purpose and founded Black Pride Milwaukee, Inc., creating safe, affirming, and empowering spaces for the city’s Black queer and trans community to heal, thrive, and lead. The organization has already served more than 500 community members and secured official recognition of Black Pride Day from city and county officials. In 2026, Matt was named to the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 for his leadership and impact across Southeast Wisconsin. A proud Texas Southern University graduate, he lives by one guiding principle: “May my life positively touch other lives.”

Matt is stepping onto the dance floor in honor of his grandfather, whom he lost to colon cancer in 2018—a man he describes as the foundation of his family and a model of quiet strength. That loss didn’t break him; it redirected him. He is dancing for every family sitting in a waiting room right now, trying to hold it together, and in support of the Edison McCants Comfort Fund, which ensures no one faces the fight of their life alone. For Matt, every step is personal—and every step matters.