Matt Unger

Matt Unger has been involved in fighting food insecurity for over 10 years including more than 6 years at the Food Bank of Iowa, and the last 5+ as CEO at DMARC.  During his tenure at DMARC, Matt led the organization through the global pandemic, not closing their doors a single day due to COVID-19 while seeing incredible growth in the number of people experiencing food insecurity across greater Des Moines.  2022 ushered in the 70^th anniversary of the organization and a $5.7 Million capital campaign to remodel and move to a new headquarters.  This move increased the capacity of the organization to meet the record-breaking number of individuals receiving assistance across the food pantry network and made it possible for DMARC to open their first on-site food pantry.

Prior to joining the non-profit sector, Matt spent more than a dozen years working in the world of political campaigns and management of state government. His political career spanned multiple Iowa Caucus campaigns, Iowa Gubernatorial campaigns, and a four year stint as Chief of Staff to Lt. Governor Patty Judge. Judge and Unger then partnered in a consulting firm, PJJ Solutions, where they would focus not just on political campaigns, but business and organizational strategy as well as public policy.

Originally from Wisconsin, Matt, a Drake grad, has called Des Moines home for over twenty years, and lives with his wife, Anita, in Beaverdale.