JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 24, 2023 – Matt Connor, a division information officer with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Office of Communications, has been selected as the department’s Team Member of the Month for October 2023.
Connor was selected for his service to the department and for his efforts while serving as chairman of the State Fair Committee, which plans and operates the department’s events at the Missouri State Fair, as well as serving as co-chair of the Earth Day Committee, which plans and operates the Earth Day event at the Missouri State Capitol.
As part of his usual duties, Connor is the front-line communications contact for the department’s Division of Energy. He assists the division with communications projects, such as writing press releases, providing media coordination and other public relations-related functions. In addition to these duties, the person serving in his role has also traditionally coordinated the department’s presence at the Missouri State Fair and Earth Day.
Having recently joined the department and without much prior knowledge about how the event was operated in the past, Connor jumped into the role of chairman of the State Fair Committee, which is already a significant undertaking. He led the group as they developed informative exhibits for the 2023 event, organized volunteers and planned logistics. Throughout the process, he kept group meetings on task and on time, which lead to a successful event where approximately 18,000 citizens visited the department’s displays in the Missouri State Fair’s Womans Building.
Connor also served as co-chair of the Earth Day Committee, which planned and held the Earth Day celebration at the Missouri State Capitol in April. The event was the first Earth Day celebration held after a 3-year pause during the pandemic. Earth Day was also a tremendous success, with more than 1,300 children and teachers from schools around the state in attendance. The Missouri State Fair and Earth Day are the largest outreach events the department sponsors each year.
“Matt’s calm demeanor, organizational skills and willingness to jump in wherever and whenever needed were nothing short of a godsend,” said Tisha Holden, a fellow division information officer and chair of the Earth Day Committee, who nominated Connor for the award. “Matt did not shadow me, but stood beside me, offering guidance and advice along the way. He will chair the Earth Day event next year, too, and I have no doubt he’ll do an amazing job.”
Connor joined the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in January 2023 and resides in Jefferson City.