About Us

Matt McGrath, President & Founder

Matt McGrath brings an uncommon combination of corporate, government, and political experience to every client engagement.

He spent more than two years as a Vice President at Edelman, one of the world's largest communications firms, where he provided crisis and issues management counsel to Fortune 100 companies, category leaders, and major civic institutions. Before that, he served as Press Secretary for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, managed major Illinois Senate campaigns, served as Chief of Staff at the Chicago City Treasurer's Office, and most recently led external affairs for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office — the nation's second-largest prosecutor's office.

He currently serves as a senior advisor to Rahm Emanuel, supporting his national political and policy work through Blueprint Action Fund.

Matt is based in Chicago, where he has spent more than two decades building relationships across business, government, media, and politics.

Dan McGrath, Senior Advisor

Dan McGrath brings to McGrath Strategies something that can't be manufactured: six decades of relationships, credibility, and institutional knowledge built at the highest levels of journalism, sports, and civic life.

McGrath's career in journalism took him across the country before bringing him home to Chicago. He wrote for seven newspapers across six cities and five states — including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and The National, the groundbreaking sports daily — developing the kind of broad perspective and editorial judgment that comes only from years in the field.

He spent 14 years as sports editor of the Chicago Tribune, where he covered some of the defining moments in Chicago sports history — from the final years of the Jordan era to a White Sox World Series championship to the Blackhawks' 2010 Stanley Cup victory. His commentary earned two Pulitzer Prize nominations. He is a 2025 inductee of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, honored with the Media Lifetime Achievement Award.

After retiring from full-time journalism, McGrath took on a second act as president of Leo Catholic High School on Chicago's South Side — his alma mater — where he led a remarkable institutional turnaround, playing a central role in doubling enrollment and restoring the school's standing in the community. He continues to contribute to Crain's Chicago Business as a columnist.

At McGrath Strategies, Dan brings unmatched media expertise, deep education and nonprofit sector relationships, and the editorial instincts of a career journalist to every client engagement. He provides counsel on executive communications, media strategy, and written work product — and has spent a lifetime understanding what makes a story land and what makes it miss.