Matthew Cossolotto has served as a speechwriter to top officials at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, as well as to CEO-level leaders at UCLA, MCI, Pepsi-Cola International, and GTE (now Verizon). He has provided speechwriting, speech coaching and media relations services for a variety of clients, including MasterCard, IBM, GTE, Deloitte, AT&T, and Lafarge. 

A guest speaker, trainer and coach, Matthew has created a series of Personal Empowerment Programs (PEPTalks) on speaking skills (PodiumPower!) and the power of habits (Harness Your HabitForce!). Audiences have included schools, NGOs, corporations. and government agencies. He conducted a series of PodiumPower! workshops for International Staff at NATO headquarters.

After serving on Capitol Hill as an aide to Speaker of the House Jim Wright and Congressman Leon Panetta, he helped found the Center for Voting and Democracy (FairVote) in 1992 and served as President and Board Chair for five years. 

Matthew is the founder of Study Abroad Alumni International (SAAI), an emerging community of global citizens dedicated to international awareness and cross-cultural understanding. Efforts are underway to establish SAAI's global headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

Matthew's books include All the World's a Podium, HabitForce!,The Almanac of European Politics, and The Almanac of Transatlantic Politics. His forthcoming book, The Power of a Promise, includes a foreword by Jack Canfield, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. 

Matthew, who resides in Brussels, can be reached by email at Matthew@ ThePodiumPro.com.