KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL HAS BEEN AROUND FOR MORE THAN HALF A century and might be best known for its innovative anti-pollution television commercial in the early 1970s featuring a Native American with a single tear running down his cheek. Matt McKenna '72 was named president and CEO of the organization in January 2008 and is thrilled to be at the helm of one of the most prestigious environmental organizations in America.
Matt McKenna '72
McKenna grew up in Washington, D.C., and, like many students who end up attending Hamilton College, he fell in love with the school when he visited for his interview. While on the Hill McKenna engaged in volunteer activities, and he knew it was something he wanted to come back to in his life. He graduated from Georgetown Law School and became a tax partner in a large firm in New York City, where he stayed for 15 years. He left to join PepsiCo where he worked for 14 years, many of them as treasurer of the company, finally leaving in 2007 as senior vice president of finance. McKenna knew he wanted to have one more career — this time in public service — and spent a year looking for the right fit.
While at PepsiCo, McKenna had been involved in corporate sustainability efforts. "It was part of everything they did, and during the last couple of years I was in charge of that effort," he says. "But as serious as they were about that effort, they could only go so far." McKenna wanted to go somewhere where the individual was encouraged to make a difference in the community, and he saw that commitment at Keep America Beautiful.
The organization's community beautification, littering and waste reduction campaigns reach millions of people across the country. "Keep America Beautiful started as a beautification organization and has evolved into one where it relies on almost 600 affiliates around the country to do the work," McKenna says. "Through our affiliates we engage local volunteers to improve their communities — our goal is to empower the individual."
The organization's newest initiative is to take a leadership role in promoting recycling, because the group believes that's something best done by individuals. Education is the key, McKenna says: "If you can tell people and show people how to do something better, they learn it and then do it very quickly."
