Executive Director
pwm@wilder.org

Paul Mattessich has worked in the fields of human services, social policy, and social research since 1973. In 1982, he became executive director of Wilder Research and has served as a member of the Wilder Foundation's senior leadership team since then. He has authored or co-authored more than 250 publications. He has also served on a variety of government and nonprofit boards of directors and special task forces.

Paul lectures frequently throughout the United States and the United Kingdom, especially on topics of organizational effectiveness, collaboration/partnerships, and major social trends that will affect our future. He worked for a year in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with organizations that promote the development of democratic skills to bring communities together and to resolve conflict through nonviolent means. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Minnesota.

Recent projects

• Twin Cities Compass, an initiative in partnership with 8 foundations to educate policy makers and community residents, and to inspire action to improve the quality of life in the Twin Cities region
• Minnesota Compass, a statewide collaboration between Wilder Research, 3 foundations, and 6 initiative funds to support efforts to improve regions and communities
• Major publications in 2009: “Communities that don’t bowl in the fog” in Contexts; chapter on "Managing evaluation studies," in New Directions in Program Evaluation
• Wilder Foundation strategic planning
• Study of racism in the East Metro area

Books

• Information Gold Mine: Innovative uses of evaluation
• The manager's guide to program evaluation
• Collaboration: What makes it work
• Community-building: What makes it work

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