ABOUT MATT

Over the last 20 years, Matt Ross has been at the forefront of creative education and has built and led two of the most innovative consumer education brands in the world, while establishing himself as an innovative entrepreneur who has combined his passion for growth and creativity to achieve substantial personal and professional success.

Since 2012, Mr. Ross has been the Founder and CEO of One River School, a company whose mission is to “Transform Art Education R” in America. One River has built a proprietary method to teach art and design to people of all ages and all skill levels that has helped it to become the voice of contemporary art in its communities nationwide. Today, One River operates fifteen schools in six states with plans to grow to over one hundred units by 2029.

Prior to One River School, Mr. Ross was the CEO of School of Rock, where he built the company from an early stage struggling venture into the world leader in music education for kids. From 2005-2010, School of Rock grew from 5 to 55 locations and secured deals for an additional 50 schools, while becoming synonymous for performance-based music education in America. In 2009, Matt led the sale of a majority stake of School of Rock to Sterling Partners, and Matt remained an investor and franchise operator until he and Sterling exited in 2023 with the sale of the company to Roark Capital.

From 2006-2020, Matt was one of the most successful operators in the media business and led some of the most important radio brands in the world including: Q104.3, New Yorks Classic Rock Station and Hot 97, the #1 Hip Hop Station in the World. Matt was featured in Crains New York Business “40 Under 40” and increased shareholder value by billions of dollars for diverse media companies such as Clear Channel, Viacom, Emmis and Broadcasting Partners Inc.

Mr. Ross is also deeply invested in helping others and supporting the community via personal advocacy in three specific areas:

- Creating World Class Autism Services by supporting organizations that build communities for adults with special needs, including Reed Autism Services and the United Way of Bergen County, among others.
- Supporting Artists and Arts-based Organizations. Matt has become an important patron and supporter of emerging and mid-career contemporary artists, building a personal art collection of over 400 objects. He has also participated on the Board of Trustees for Art 21 and the Bergen Performing Arts Center and is a current supporter of numerous other arts-based organizations.

Helping People to: “Find Their Magic and Creative Inspiration”. Matt is the author of Grow or Fold, a profound story of awakening your enthusiasm for growth and change in middle age and beyond, which is scheduled to be published in October 2025.

Matt holds an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at NYU and is a Cum Laude graduate in Marketing from SUNY Albany. He and his wife Susan recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and they are the parents of two sons, Alex and Jason.