Big Shoulders Fund Spotlight: Meet Matthew Wells

Founders Advisory Council member Matthew Wells is president and CEO of One Region, a civic coalition of chief executives and business owners dedicated to driving growth and enhancing quality of life across Northwest Indiana. 

Under his leadership, One Region has become a leading catalyst for transformational change in the Greater South Shore corridor – positioning the Region as an emerging national destination for investment, innovation, and economic dynamism. He also serves as chief engagement officer at Purdue University Northwest, where he directs the university’s enterprise-level external engagement strategy, and is the principal investigator of the Greater South Shore Initiative, a multi-sector effort to align public, private, and institutional leadership around a shared vision for regional transformation.

Mr. Wells is active in national and international thought-leadership and investment networks, including the Concordia Summit, the American Enterprise Institute’s Leadership Network, the Aspen Institute, the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, After Arts, the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy, and Angeles Investors. He serves several boards including Opportunity Enterprises, the Started Up Foundation, 21st Century Charter School and Gary Middle College, and the Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest.

He and his wife also own Wells Family Counseling, a psychotherapy practice in Valparaiso, and he serves as choir director at Protection of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church in Merrillville. A classically trained opera singer, Mr. Wells holds degrees from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music (BM ’08, MM ’10) and Valparaiso University (MA ’10). He is widely regarded as a coalition builder and strategist who aligns private capital, civic leadership, and institutional capacity around transformative ideas that advance the common good, with a particular focus on expanding opportunity in underinvested communities and mentoring the next generation of leaders.

What inspired you to get involved with Big Shoulders Fund and its mission in education?

I’ve always believed that education is the single most important lever we can pull to shape the trajectory of a person’s life and, by extension, the future of a community. Big Shoulders Fund’s focus on delivering high-quality education to students in underserved communities resonated with my own values and my belief that talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not. Supporting a world-class organization that measurably closes that gap is a tremendous privilege. 

Can you share a memorable moment or experience you’ve had working with Big Shoulders Fund schools or students?

One of my earliest memorable moments came in the summer of 2020, early in the COVID pandemic, when the organization responded in real time to profound community need by preparing and distributing thousands of meals to families on Father’s Day. The effort was a partnership with the White Lodging School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at Purdue Northwest. It brought to life a Fred Rogers quote I’ve always loved: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” At a moment when fear and uncertainty seemed to touch every household, I saw firsthand how quickly the Big Shoulders Fund community could mobilize – and how deeply it mattered to the people we serve.

Why do you believe investing in education — especially in underserved communities — is so critical?

Education is generational change in motion. When we invest in a young person’s learning, we’re not just impacting their life, but their future family’s life, and the broader community’s trajectory. In underserved communities, where structural barriers are steep, a strong education can be the difference between cycles of poverty and cycles of opportunity.

How does your background or professional experience inform your approach as a Founders Advisory Council member?

Much of my career has been spent leading regional civic and economic initiatives. That work has shown me how closely education and economic vitality are linked — strong schools attract families, strengthen neighborhoods, and provide the skilled workforce that employers need. I bring that lens to the FAC, always thinking about how education fits into the bigger picture of community renewal and long-term prosperity.

What do you think sets Big Shoulders Fund apart from other education-focused nonprofits?

It’s the combination of deeply personal relationships with schools and a high-performance, results-oriented approach. Big Shoulders Fund doesn’t just provide scholarships and grants — it walks alongside schools, students, and families for the long haul, and helps shape the values-based educational landscape of the future. That blend of heart and strategy is rare and powerful.