News
For Immediate Release
Date: 23 Apr 2010
Contact: Carol Stephens or Matt Cookson
Matt Cookson Named President of CC Stephens & Co
Carol Stephens, founder and CEO of CC Stephens & Company, announced today that Matt Cookson has been named president of the full service marketing and public relations firm. Cookson, the current associate vice chancellor of external relations for the University System of New Hampshire (USNH), will step down from his position at the end of June and join the firm in this capacity in July.
As part of this new role, he will continue to provide some core communications services to the University System, including serving as the spokesperson and overseeing media and public relations. He will also take a lead role at CC Stephens in providing strategic communications services to new and existing clients, including the New Hampshire High Technology Council, which CC Stephens has provided staffing and support services for since 1998. The Council recently named Cookson the associate executive director, a position he will also assume in July through this new role.
“I have known Matt for over a decade and have witnessed his ability to develop and create partnerships, and effectively promote and advocate for organizations including the University System, PC Connection, Stay Work Play and others,” Stephens said. “He is a strategic thinker who is highly respected across the state, brings more than 20 years of experience to the agency, and will be a key member of our leadership team as we look to expand upon our base of long-term clients.”
Cookson has been with the University System since 2005. Prior to that he headed up communications for New England College, served as director of government affairs for the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, and was director of public affairs for PC Connection. As part of his USNH responsibilities, he helped found and currently serves as the interim executive director of Stay Work Play. He will be stepping down from that position shortly, but will continue to advise and assist this non-profit organization in its efforts to attract and retain more young workers in New Hampshire.
“This is a great state to chart your own path and I am very excited about this new opportunity. Small business is a backbone of New Hampshire’s economy, and I look forward to directing a business that can help others gain visibility and foster new partnerships so they can prosper in today’s innovation economy,” Cookson said. “I am also very pleased to continue my professional relationship with the University System, the High Tech Council, and Stay Work Play in this new capacity.“
Cookson, a resident of Bedford, currently serves on the High Tech Council Board and is chair of their Education Committee. He holds a BA in English and journalism and an MA in political science from the University of Connecticut, and is a 2003 Leadership New Hampshire alumnus. He is active in many organizations across the state, and in 2009 was named one of the top 25 leaders of New Hampshire over the next 25 years by Business New Hampshire magazine.
CC Stephens & Co, established in 1991, presently has an office in Peterborough, and plans call for creating a presence for CC Stephens and the High Tech Council in the Manchester area later this year. The firm offers a full-range of creative marketing and strategic communications services for domestic and international clients in such diverse fields as technology, education, retail/wholesale manufacturing, and non-profit services. To learn more about CC Stephens, go to www.ccstephens.com or call 603-924-4311.
This Article was published on 23 Apr 2010.