Matt Sheppard founded Sheppard Communication Strategies in 2021 after a 14 year career working in public policy and communications for Chesapeake Energy.

 

Sheppard served as the company’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, where he oversaw public policy initiatives for the company’s activities in the Marcellus and Utica Shale. He also worked closely with Chesapeake executives in Oklahoma City on all external communications issues in the Appalachian Basin, including major media stories in national publications. He served as the company’s public affairs on-the-ground communications lead during several high-profile crisis events.

 

During his time at Chesapeake, Sheppard served on the Executive Committee of the Marcellus Shale Coalition, the Ohio Oil and Gas Association and the Kentucky Oil and Gas Association. He served as both Treasurer and Vice-Chair for the MSC.

 

Today, Sheppard Communication Strategies is a member of all three organizations, positioning Matt well to help clients in the energy space navigate a quickly-changing political and regulatory landscape. Sheppard recently guided a private equity backed natural gas company as it produced its first Sustainability report. He then helped lead the effort as the company announced it would be seeking independent certification of its gas production and placing environmental technology on its locations to help achieve the certification.

 

Outside of the energy arena, Matt crafts strategies and documents for other organizations facing challenging public policy or communications issues.

 

Sheppard is a graduate of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.