Matthew Naylor

Dr. Matthew Naylor is the President and CEO of the National WWI Museum and Memorial located in Kansas City, Mo., U.S.A. Naylor began his tenure at the Museum and Memorial in June 2013 and possesses more than 30 years of leadership in the nonprofit arena. 

Under Naylor’s direction, the Museum and Memorial has achieved unprecedented success, breaking and resetting records for attendance, philanthropy, educational and community event participants, website traffic, media and social media impressions and digital learning. In 2023, the Museum and Memorial began expansions and upgrades that will continue through 2025 to create a richer guest experience. These include the addition of a new state-of-the-art Open Storage Center and a more immersive Main Gallery. Known as Kansas City’s front porch and the gathering place for the region, the Museum and Memorial has hosted three championship sports parades, 312,000 people for the 2023 NFL Draft and over 75,000 guests for Kansas City’s annual Independence Day celebration. In 2018, Naylor was named Nonprofit PRO “Executive of the Year” and in 2019, Ingram’s Magazine included him on its “50 Missourians You Should Know” list. In 2023, the Native Sons and Daughters of Kansas City presented him with the “Outstanding Kansas Citian Award.” 

Naylor earned a Ph.D. from Curtin University in Perth, Australia. He serves on boards for several civic and educational initiatives, including the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy