Director of Corporate Communications, Chesapeake Energy
By Dawn Nolan
In the natural gas industry, Matt Sheppard is a bit of a rarity. After all, there aren’t many Emmy Award winners working behind the scenes of a drilling rig. In 2002 as Sheppard was transitioning out of a career as a television sports journalist and into corporate communications, he was awarded the Emmy for his work on coverage of the first race at the Daytona Speedway following the death of Dale Earnhardt.
The Emmy Award capped his childhood ambition to become a sports anchor. His TV career began in 1995 when, as a journalism student at Ohio University, he earned an internship at WSAZ-TV in Huntington. The months of driving two hours to the station on the weekends his senior year paid off because he was hired as the morning news producer at WSAZ when he graduated. It was during this time that he was taught the “ropes” of journalism from newsroom colleagues Tim Irr and Keith Morehouse.
However, after the birth of his first child, Sheppard’s career went in a different direction.
“My wife, Penny Moss, and I decided that we could not both work in the field of journalism if we wanted to have a family,” Sheppard shares. When his daughter was just a few months old, he accepted a position in public relations at Charles Ryan Associates in Charleston. Sheppard considers Charles Ryan, the founder of the firm, the mentor who taught him the importance of client relationships and how to find creative solutions to difficult problems. “When I went to work for CRA, I had no real insight into the business world. I view Charlie as the consummate professional, businessman and gentleman. He exudes confidence and patience in difficult situations, and that translated into a sense of reassurance for his clients.”
After his time at Charles Ryan, Sheppard joined Chesapeake Energy where he is now the senior director of corporate development, overseeing on-the-ground communications across the company’s vast Marcellus Shale drilling operations. Sheppard feels fortunate he once again had the opportunity to work with talented people such as Scott Rotruck and Mike John who further developed his understanding of the business of natural gas.
Sheppard has modeled his life after the example his mother set. “She has an incredible work ethic, a calm demeanor, is selfless as well as understanding. Even though we don’t talk every day, I often consider how she would handle a situation before moving forward.”
He thinks that his ability to listen, ask questions and learn from very smart people has contributed to his professional development. He wholeheartedly believes that you can learn something valuable from the people you meet every day as long as you have the patience to seek and understand the perspective these people have to offer.
He finds motivation for his life in his family, saying, “My wife is the perfect partner for me, and we are now blessed with four wonderful children. No matter how difficult my day has been, they always race to the door to greet me—ready to play, read books and have fun.”
Sheppard hopes his children will have the same kind of childhood he enjoyed. “My favorite memory as a kid is learning how to play baseball with my dad and my friends in the neighborhood. I feel fortunate to have grown up in a time where kids would gather every summer to play sports and hang out.”
Although Sheppard grew up in Ohio, he says West Virginia is the best place to live and work. “Our state has incredible potential, natural beauty and is a terrific place to raise a family. We are blessed with people who possess a strong work ethic as well as the ability to see the positive points in every situation.”
