Matthew Willard
Matthew Willard | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Orleans City Council from the at-large district Position 1 | |
| Assumed office January 12, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Helena Moreno |
| Minority Leader of the Louisiana House of Representatives | |
| In office January 8, 2024 – October 29, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Sam Jenkins |
| Succeeded by | Kyle Green |
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 97th district | |
| In office January 13, 2020 – January 12, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Bouie |
| Succeeded by | Ed Murray |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 5, 1988 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Education | Louisiana State University (attended) University of New Orleans (BS) |
Matthew Willard (born November 5, 1988) is an American politician serving as a member of the New Orleans City Council since January 12, 2026. He previously served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from the 97th district.
Early life and education
Willard was born and raised in New Orleans. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from the University of New Orleans.[1][2]
Career
From 2012 to 2016, Willard worked as an account executive at Schulkens Communications. He then joined Fluence Analytics, working as a growth specialist and later senior manager for marketing and communications. He was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in November 2019 and assumed office on January 13, 2020.[3]
In December 2023 Willard was elected as leader of the House Democratic caucus.[4]
Willard was selected as a Future Caucus Innovation Fellow for the 2024 Healthcare Innovation and 2025-2026 Prenatal-to-Three cohorts for young legislators invested in building bipartisan policy to address key healthcare issues.[5][6]
Willard resigned from the Louisiana House in January 2026 after being elected to the New Orleans City Council.[7]
Personal life
References
- ^ "State Representative Matthew Willard". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Matthew Willard's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Matthew Willard". Ballotpedia. Retrieved August 29, 2021.
- ^ "Q&A with Rep. Matthew Willard: New La. House Democrats leader talks 2024 session". Louisiana Illuminator. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "Healthcare". Future Caucus. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ Wyatt, Garrett (December 10, 2024). "64 Gen Z and Millennial Lawmakers Chosen for Bipartisan Future Caucus Fellowship". Future Caucus. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ Curtis, Alyssa (January 12, 2026). "New Orleans City Council sworn in, shifts focus to confirmations, budget crisis". 4WWL. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
- ^ "Matthew Willard Announces Candidacy For District 97 Legislative Race". The Brylski Company. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on August 29, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2025.