Description

Bio

As the Government Services Administration’s Public Building Services Commissioner, he manages the nationwide asset management, design, construction, leasing, building management and disposal of approximately 371 million square feet of government-owned and leased space across the United States and six territories.

Prior to joining GSA, Mathews served as the Republican Staff Director of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. This committee has jurisdiction over federal buildings and courthouses, the General Services Administration, the Smithsonian, the Kennedy Center, the National Gallery of Art, and numerous other federal facilities. 

Prior to serving on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Mathews worked for the House Rules Committee and several California Members of Congress.

Mathews holds a bachelor’s in government and philosophy from Georgetown University.

Show Notes

GSA Stats

• GSA formed in 1949 (4:00)
• Real Property & Personal Property (4:15)
• 370MM s.f.
• 5,500 employees
• 30,000 contractors
• $12.5B per year of expenditures
• U.S. and U.S. territories
• United Nations (5:45)

Origins

• Born in Naples, Italy and the son of a U.S. Navy pilot who traveled around the world (6:30)
• Grew up as a Navy “brat”
• Influences of traveling- flexibility and amazing exposure to other locations (10:00)
• Inspired by the outdoors
• Mother was a nurse and infused the idea of “duty” on him (11:00)
• Colorblindness eliminated his ability to fly (11:30)

Education

• Falls Church H.S.
• Earliest memories of outdoors- camping in Mt. Baker in the State of Washington (13:00)
• Passion is rock climbing
• Went initially to the University of Colorado Boulder (14:00)
  • Studied engineering (14:30)
  • Internship on Capitol Hill (15:00)
  • Decided to transfer to Georgetown (16:00)
• Georgetown for his Junior & Senior years for Government studies (16:10)
  • Thought about ROTC and his father convinced him not to do it (16:50)
  • Philosophy & Government studies influenced him (18:15)
  • Loved Aristotle’s concept of “Ideas into Action” through government (18:35)
• Discusses origins of U.S. government- perspective of how the country’s government was formed by the Founding Fathers (19:40)
• Education in Philosophy is the most important part of his learnings to understand complex structures in government- one of his greatest strengths (22:00)

Career

• First job in Congress was secured by canvassing every Republican house member and he secured his first job with a Congressman (23:30)
• Congress is an “entrepreneurial” environment (26:25)
• Capitol Hill is like a fire station- a rush to get things done and then quiet for a long time in between (28:15)
• After his boss at Congress lost his re-election, he went to work for his brother in a furniture business in North Carolina and learned about real estate leasing there (29:00)
• ...