Championing Dialogue in a Difficult World

There's a current of purpose that drives Matthew "Matt" Warshaw, SIS/BA '94: facilitating global dialogue in service of our common humanity.

Warshaw first visited American University as part of a Washington, DC, college tour. The high schooler from California had already nurtured a powerful interest in all things international. With two foreign exchanges already behind him, in the former Soviet Union and in Denmark, the teenage Warshaw had engaged with residents, traveled to nearby countries, and met exchange students from Egypt, Japan, Poland, Turkey, and many other countries.

While he looked at other universities, none fit like AU. Hearing him speak about his life and career, it's easy to imagine him as a determined undergraduate arriving at AU's School of International Service (SIS) in the fall of 1991.

"I felt most at home at SIS," explains Warshaw. "It was the right environment for me, and that made the choice pretty perfect."

Warshaw-who currently serves as the chair of the SIS Dean's Board of Advisors and was honored as the 2022 SIS Alum of the Year-is a resolute champion of AU. It's the throughline, he likes to say, woven into the fabric of all that he is. His four years at AU instilled in him lifelong skills, forged peer friendships and faculty mentorships, and fueled his belief in global dialogue.

"AU has been a constant thread, from the time I matriculated until today," says Warshaw. "No matter where on earth I end up, something in my path always links me to the AU community. Nearly every job, in one way or another, has had an AU connection."

It didn't take long for these connections to spark exponential growth in his education and an extraordinary international career. Warshaw earned a Master of Arts in Russian, Central European, East European, and Eurasian Studies in 1999 from Georgetown University's Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies (CERES) at the Walsh School of Foreign Service. As an adult, he has fueled his driving curiosity to better know the world, speaking five languages and achieving the globe-spanning footprint he once dreamed of when he first came to DC. He's devoted 20 years of his career to the public opinion research company D3: Designs, Data, Decisions, which boasts projects in more than 150 countries.

Whether traveling throughout the Balkans with Voice of America or collecting public opinion data in Afghanistan and Iraq, Warshaw's résumé reveals a peripatetic industry leader and innovator. He has led projects around the globe, including in Brazil, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Haiti, India, Mexico, Sudan, Taiwan, Ukraine, and Venezuela, among many other nations. As always, his work is mission driven.

"The growing economic, political, and social complexities of the globalized world heighten the importance of social science research, as it provides critical insights into understanding the challenges that arise from our interconnectedness," says Warshaw.

After leading D3's expansion into Latin/South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, Warshaw became its CEO and majority owner in October 2024.

It was at AU that Warshaw also met his wife and fellow SIS board member Cynthia "Cindy" Borges Warshaw, SIS/BA '93, CAS/MFA '20.

The Eagle pair met in Leonard Hall, which was then known for its international programming. Their relationship transcended class years and culture-Borges Warshaw is a daughter of Brazilian immigrants.

Their partnership has carried them forward throughout international careers, their roles as parents to two children, and lives committed to furthering a more equitable world.

Warshaw sees the relevancy of an SIS education every day in his sector of social science. At D3, he has been proud to hire and work with nearly 20 Eagles who have each leveraged their training and interpersonal know-how to innovate for impact. These highly talented employees give Warshaw a "great source of pride" in his alma mater.

When asked about his remarkable commitment to SIS, Warshaw echoes the foundational ethos of the school.

"It's the School of International Service, which is different than any comparable school title," Warshaw says. "It prioritizes service to others, on a global scale."

Service for the Warshaws takes many forms. In addition to their volunteer board service, the couple has established the Matthew and Cynthia Warshaw Endowed Scholarship Fund to ensure that today's students, particularly first-generation Eagles, can pursue AU with the same unflinching ambition that the Warshaws did.

Warshaw describes it all with considered candor.

"There are few things that can profoundly change your life more than the college experience. This fund recognizes that, once you have enjoyed the privilege of receiving a life-altering education, you have a moral obligation to pass that opportunity on to a new generation."

The ideas of opportunity and obligation come up again and again for Warshaw, who contrasts his AU-strengthened ethos to ideologies about "self-made" success. It's an expansive way of thinking.

"True philanthropy is doing something because it can be done, and because it will make the broader community stronger," explains Warshaw, whether that entails a financial commitment to a scholarship or plugging students or alumni into networks that advance their academic or career goals.

Warshaw both models and is rewarded by this AU spirit of engagement-particularly in this current moment.

He's inspired by the new Civic Life initiative launched by AU's 16th president, Jonathan Alger. To Warshaw, it captures what he values most about building the society we wish to live in through dedicated education and skills-based learning.

Warshaw acknowledges the headwinds of today's polarization, nativism, and nationalism that challenge the ideals of a curriculum like that offered by SIS. Yet he is neither discouraged nor deterred, believing that these baleful trends further motivate people like him.

"We are in even greater need today of people who are well-trained in civil dialogue across communities, within our country, across global partnerships and alliances, and with individuals with whom we do not agree," Warshaw shares. "I can't think of a place more powerful than the School of International Service to be training the next generation of leaders who will create these spaces for communication across barriers and will work towards a system that recognizes the humanity of all peoples."

It's the same credo Warshaw shares with students. Adversity will always exist, but the common threads of AU bind and bolster us: "Hold on to what you believe in and press forward."

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