Matthew Burton

Professional Profile

Location: New York City

Website: matthewburton.org

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/govtech

Languages: English (Native), Russian (Elementary)

Professional Summary

Senior executive with 20+ years leading digital and cultural transformation initiatives for global organizations key to international security. Proven track record of empowering leadership teams with the knowledge, confidence, and workforce-awareness to achieve multi-billion dollar transformation programs.

Consulting Services Available

• Strategic Advisory
• Transformation Leadership
• Executive Coaching

Engagement Models

• Retainer arrangements (12+ months)
• Project-based consulting (3-12 months)
• Interim Executive roles (6-24 months)

Geographic Availability: Global (Americas, EMEA, APAC) with remote capability and willingness to travel up to 75%

Professional Experience

Areas of Expertise

Digital Transformation Methods

• Digital-First Strategy
• Cloud Migration at Scale
• AI/ML Implementation
• Data Modernization
• Customer Experience Transformation
• Tech Recruiting
• Digital Twins

Cultural Transformation Methods

• Organizational Change Management
• Leadership Development
• Cultural Assessment & Design
• Employee Engagement
• Cross-Cultural Integration
• Storytelling
• Impassioned Communication

Strategic Frameworks

• Kotter 8-Step Process
• Agile Transformation
• Lean Management

Industry Expertise

• Technology
• Government
• National Security, Global Security, International Security
• Intelligence & Intelligence Analysis
• Military Affairs & Defense
• Financial Services & Financial Regulation
• Environment & Climate

Leadership Capabilities

• C-Suite Advisory & Coaching
• Board Presentation & Reporting
• Global Team Leadership
• Stakeholder Management
• Crisis Leadership
• Workforce Engagement
• Strategic Planning & Execution
• Workforce Communication

Values-First Digital Transformation

Theoretical Foundation

Systems Iceberg Model

Based on systems innovation theory, this framework distinguishes between visible events (IT systems, symptoms) and invisible root causes (values, mindsets, behaviors, culture). Most digital transformation efforts focus on the visible "Events" level while ignoring deeper invisible layers that determine whether technology can actually create change.

The 8 Levels of Organizational Systems:

1. Events/Symptoms: New IT systems, visible problems (what organizations typically focus on)
2. Patterns: Recurring transformation failures
3. Structures: Procurement processes, vendor management, business processes
4. Practices: Staff management, recruiting processes, operational habits
5. Spaces & Interactions: Communication patterns, collaboration norms
6. Behaviours: Employee adoption patterns, resistance, engagement
7. Mindsets: Openness to change, assumptions about technology
8. Values: Organizational culture, core beliefs (the foundation)

Theory of Constraints Connection

Inspired by Eliyahu Goldratt's Theory of Constraints from "The Goal": while Goldratt focused on hard constraints (physical equipment, chemistry), Values-First Digital Transformation addresses soft constraints—human dynamics, culture, learned behaviors, and organizational norms.

Key Insight: In digital transformation, the real constraints are not technical but cultural and operational. It is easy to overlook these constraints as irrelevant to the problem. They are boring and unsexy. But they are what unlock the transformation leaders are seeking.

Supporting Evidence

Research Foundation

• Standish Group CHAOS/HAZE Reports: Only 13% of large government software projects are successful, demonstrating systematic failure of traditional IT-first approaches
• Bent Flyvbjerg's Megaprojects Research: Start small, iterate fast, focus on team empowerment over grand planning. Example: Heathrow Airport Renovation succeeded by prioritizing worker experience (quality food service, clean facilities) over pure technical specifications—proving that investing in human factors directly improves technical outcomes
• MIT GenAI Study (2025): Despite $30-40 billion in enterprise investment into GenAI, 95% of organizations are getting zero return—demonstrating organizational panic rather than strategic experimentation

Success Factors

Proven approach: Keep projects under $2 million, deliver working tools in under 6 months, use incremental Agile development, break large projects into smaller pieces.

Core mechanism: Workforce-informed feedback loops through small, fast iterations that bring the organization along through many small changes.

Technology Adoption Philosophy

Technology Skepticism from Expertise

Despite being well-versed in computer technology and a deep user since childhood—or more likely because of that knowledge and history—Matthew has learned to be careful with technology adoption and not rush headlong into organizational implementation before readiness is established.

Organizational Panic Pattern

Particularly within large bureaucracies like governments and publicly traded corporations, leaders feel compelled to publicly demonstrate leadership in new technology domains, rushing into adoption to satisfy perceived public or market demand.

Current example: Large Language Models (LLMs) for customer service. MIT study found that despite $30-40 billion in enterprise investment, 95% of organizations are getting zero return. This means organizations are not experimenting in any way that allows them to derive knowledge from failure—they are panicking, not learning.

Key insight: The more vocal an organization is about its exploration of a new technology, the less serious it is about deriving long-term value from its current exploration.

Responsible Technology Exploration

Curiosity about new technologies is fine. The important part is that exploration is done in a way that is additive to the organization. Meaningful additions include:

• Stronger technical talent acquisition and development
• More robust IT infrastructure conducive to experimentation and scaling
• Refined business processes that emerge from viewing business through lens of new technology
• Organizational learning capability and adaptability

Such value-adds are often behind the scenes and not headline-grabbing, which is why organizations avoid them in favor of flashy announcements.

Formative Experience: The Subway Lesson

Context: Graduate school at NYU, Physical Computing class taught by Tom Igoe

Assignment: Propose a design change to NYC subway system. Initial proposal was for dynamic signage above exterior staircases showing real-time train arrival data—based entirely on personal experience with no user research. Would have been technically difficult and expensive.

Reality check: When required to interview actual subway riders, not one person volunteered this problem. They all wanted something very simple: for the trains to run on time.

Lesson: A leader with the attitude that their perception is reality, and that they perceive their workforce's problems correctly despite lack of concrete data, will get into trouble. To solve actual problems, you have to go to the people experiencing the problems and ask them what the problems actually are.

This experience directly informs the diagnostic framework's emphasis on communication lines between leadership and line workers, and the importance of workforce-informed feedback loops.

Diagnostic Framework for Transformation Readiness

Three Key Readiness Indicators

1. Communication Lines

• Assessment: Is there open communication between transformation leaders (senior leaders, consultants) and line workers who have operational knowledge?
• Importance: Tests ability to implement workforce-informed feedback loops
• Red flag: Hierarchical barriers blocking access to real operational knowledge

2. Strategic Plan Quality

• Written in prose rather than slides (tests depth vs. surface presentation)
• Focuses on HOW not just WHAT (real strategy explains process and sequence)
• Addresses why changes haven't already been made (cultural transparency about blockers)
• Explicitly lists the non-priorities (if everything is a priority, nothing is a priority)
• Red flag: "Kitchen sink" plans that avoid hard cultural and operational issues

3. Progress Communication Method

• Assessment: Do teams provide live demos of working software regardless of status, or rely on charts, graphs, and PowerPoint presentations?
• Importance: Shows focus on tangible results vs. theoretical progress
• Red flag: Over-reliance on slide presentations instead of working demonstrations

3 Questions to Ask About Any Org-Wide Technology Initiative

1. What problem are we trying to solve?

• Assessment: Is there broad alignment across the workforce that this a valid problem?
• Importance: Ensures that the problem definition merits corporate investment.
• Red flag: The identified problem lacks a concrete connection to the organization's mission, or is being pursued for the technology's own sake (e.g. in order to "be innovative").

2. Why haven't we solved this problem previously?

• Assessment:The answer should be precise and frank.
• Importance:If blockers still exist, investment will be wasted.
• Red flag:The identified blockers are not root causes. For example, "lack of investment" is not a root cause; "unwillingness of leadership to prioritize this problem" is closer to the root.

3. Has that blocker been removed?

• Importance:If blockers still exist, investment will be wasted.
• Red flag:A superficial solution was applied--e.g., new leadership--without addressing the lasting downstream cultural and organizational impacts of the blocker.

Warning Signs

• High transformation budgets allocated without regard for incremental progress and success
• Over-reliance on slides over prose and live demonstrations
• Strategic plans that avoid acknowledging cultural and operational blockers
• Lack of direct communication channels between leadership and operational staff

The "One Foot in Front of the Other" Principle

Origin: 7-day wilderness survival school in Utah desert (2003) with minimal food and shelter. On the hardest days, stopped thinking about how far to go and became obsessed with putting one foot in front of the other.

Application to IT Modernization: People often focus too much on the end goal, either thinking too much about how hard it is to achieve, or trying to make the perfect plan for achieving it, rather than putting one foot in front of the other.

This experience directly informs the emphasis on small iterations, $2M/6-month projects, and incremental progress over grand planning.

Consulting Services

Background for Boards

Board Profile

Transformation leader at the intersection of government and technology with nearly 20 years of experience driving digital initiatives and scaling organizations to deliver sustainable, mission-driven impact. Recognized “fixer” of complex systems, adept at thriving in uncertainty and charting a clear path forward by stabilizing organizations, recruiting elite talent, and influencing at the highest levels. Extensive experience advising on bureaucracy reform and oversight.

Executive Experience

Most recently Matthew Burton was the Associate Chief Information Officer for Tax Technology Modernization at the U.S. Department of Treasury, where he was honored with the Secretary’s Meritorious Service Award for his leadership of the Inflation Reduction Act implementation. In this role he crafted and implemented the strategy for the Internal Revenue Service’s $15B technology transformation, modernizing outdated systems, aligning siloed leadership, and overhauling procurement to strengthen fiscal discipline and oversight. After identifying a critical talent gap, he spearheaded an innovative recruitment strategy to attract top private-sector technology talent.

Previously, Matthew served as Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid. Hand-selected by a Presidential appointee, he led strategy and oversight for all technology-related activities—cloud strategy, IT standards, organizational structure, fraud prevention, acquisition, recruiting, and FAFSA reform—while advising senior leaders on digital transformation and identified opportunities to strengthen IT strategy, talent recruitment, and vendor management.

Prior to his government leadership roles, Matthew was Chief Operating Officer of Hadron Industries, a defense technology company specializing in cybersecurity. He stood up multiple business verticals during the startup and growth phases, served as strategic liaison between engineering teams and federal stakeholders, and designed the corporate technology playbook from scratch to ensure scalable design, secure deployment, and governance.

Earlier, as Deputy and Acting CIO at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Matthew built a nationwide IT enterprise for a 1,500-person agency, scaling the team from 7 to 150+, delivering regulatory tools, digital infrastructure, and public-facing platforms on consumer finance. His innovative recruitment strategy attracted top private-sector talent, adding 30+ hires in six months and enhancing organizational credibility.

He began his career in the U.S. Intelligence Community, where he advised on information warfare, collaboration reforms, and secure digital tools to enhance analysis and information sharing. The wide range of his experiences has led him to many different corners of the legal, business, and defense worlds, from managing commercial leases and renovations to leading an FBI-backed whistleblower investigation.

Education & Credentials

Education

• MPS, Interactive Telecommunications - New York University (NYU), 2007
• Bachelor of Arts, Public Policy - Duke University, 2002

Formative Experiences

Wilderness Survival School (2003)

Location: Utah Desert | Duration: 7 days with minimal food and shelter

Key lesson: Breaking down overwhelming challenges into immediate actionable steps. This experience shaped the approach to IT modernization—focusing on incremental progress rather than perfect planning or distant goals.

Qualities demonstrated: Resilience under extreme conditions, performance under uncertainty, focus on actionable progress

Federal Whistleblower Case

Type: False Claims Act Lawsuit against defense contractors

Role: Primary investigator and author of complaint and Statement of Material Facts

Document: Unsealed complaint

Significance: Demonstrated commitment to integrity and accountability, willingness to take substantial personal risk to hold organizations accountable. Connects directly to emphasis on organizational transparency and cultural honesty in transformation work.

Qualities demonstrated: Willingness to speak truth to power, commitment to accountability, resilience through adversity

Public Speaking

Style: Matthew blends provocative narratives and hard truths with a relaxed, informal style and engaging stories that hold audience attention. He is radically opposed to slide-based presentations. You can expect him to provide imagery and illustrations to support his talk, but he will absolutely not just stand there reading slides.

Speaking History: International talks for clients including the Central Intelligence Agency, Director of National Intelligence, Personal Democracy Forum, Ignite, and Canadian Security Service. Talks focus on the impact of technology on human society and governance.