Leading with Purpose: Matthew Stevens ’27 Brings a New Voice to Local Government

Matthew Stevens’ foray into public service began early. As a senior in high school, Stevens was appointed to the Central Square (New York) Board of Education, offering a student’s perspective as the board’s elected members crafted policy impacting the lives of the district’s approximately 3,600 students. When his term ended, he was appointed to the Central Square Planning Board. Both experiences were tremendously rewarding. They taught Stevens about what it means not just to serve your community, but to extend yourself to others. Now, at 19 years old, he is putting those lessons to work as the youngest-ever member of the Central Square Board of Trustees.

A political science major, Stevens is learning about municipal government by doing something that few other college students have the opportunity to do: by immersing himself in it. It is not unusual for him to spend breaks between classes addressing a constituent’s concern or preparing for an upcoming board meeting. As a lifelong resident of Central Square, Stevens is passionate about its sustainability, development and growth and, as a member of Gen Z, he has a vested interest in its future. He maintains that this is a critical time for young people to become involved in local government, as technology company Micron plans to make a historic investment in Central New York has the potential to reshape the area for decades to come.

When Stevens campaigned for office last spring, he met over a hundred local residents who shared their concerns with him. They included drainage issues, property and road maintenance, and “general dissatisfaction with how the government was run.” Their input continues to fuel Stevens in his work today. He is particularly committed to accountability and transparency. To that end, he created a Facebook page dedicated to his work on the board where constituents may find updates on the work he and his colleagues are doing. The most exciting thing about his work, he says, is “just being part of solving real problems.” Sometimes those are smaller issues such as illegal signage; other problems are more significant and can only be addressed through the passage of new laws.

In addition to his work as a village trustee, Stevens is the co-deputy executive director for the Log Off Movement, an organization dedicated to empowering young people to tackle the complexities of social media and its impact on younger generations. He has also been involved in advocating for state and federal legislation to ensure that technology is not exploitative and recognizes human dignity through an organization known as Design It For Us. He encourages people his age and younger to engage in conversations about social media’s impact on their lives, particularly their mental health. Stevens began his advocacy journey by organizing efforts to combat youth substance abuse in his hometown and establishing a youth advisory council to expand student leadership opportunities in the Central Square Central School District.

As he looks to the future, Stevens is optimistic. He is not limiting himself to one particular path, but is considering a career in either government or advocacy. He knows one thing for sure though.

“Whatever I do,” he says, “I will make sure that it is aligned with the issues that are most important to me.”