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==Education==
==Education==
Barzun grew up in [[Lincoln, Massachusetts]] and received his [[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]] in [[history]] and [[literature]] [[magna cum laude]] from [[Harvard College]] in 1993. In his testimony to the Senate during his confirmation vetting, Barzun noted that he had served as a summer intern to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in 1989. Prior to his college education Matthew Barzun was a student at St. Paul’s School in [[New Hampshire]]. After graduating from Harvard College, Barzun began working with [[CNET Networks]].
Barzun grew up in [[Lincoln, Massachusetts]] and received his [[Bachelor of Arts|A.B.]] in [[history]] and [[literature]] [[magna cum laude]] from [[Harvard College]] in 1993. In his testimony to the Senate during his confirmation vetting, Barzun noted that he had served as a summer intern to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in 1989. Prior to his college education Matthew Barzun was a student at St. Paul’s School in [[New Hampshire]]. After graduating from Harvard College, Barzun began working with [[CNET Networks]].

==Business experience==
Matthew Barzun worked with CNET Networks for over a decade. Among the first four employees at CNET in 1993, Barzun was part of the entire range of the company’s growth, from start up to [[initial public offering]] and to eventual profitability.<ref>[http://www.jiwire.com/corp-board-of-directors.htm jiwire.com]</ref>

Early on Matthew Barzun was made a Vice President at CNET, during which time he built, launched and grew CNET’s [[Download.com]] service. Barzun was also instrumental in establishing CNET’s policy of purchasing [[domain names]] for the company to launch new sites, including news.com, builder.com and search.com <ref>[http://www.igoldrush.com/feat2.htm igoldrush.com]</ref>. The story of Barzun’s acquisition of these valuable web properties was told in Robert H. Reid’s book about the rise of the early Internet, “Architects of the Web: 1,000 Days that Built the Future of Business”<ref>http://www.amazon.com/Architects-Web-Built-Future-Business/dp/0471171875</ref>:

<blockquote>Barzan’s (sic) teeth-cutting name space assignment was the shareware.com name that later proved so inspiring. […] Emboldened, Barzan (sic) bartered & begged & bought until he had download.com, freeware.com, and (what the hell) activex.com. Somewhere in there he also got rights to news.com, which now points to CNET’s news stories (this switched on in September of 1996)</blockquote>

By 1998, Matthew Barzun was CNET’s Senior Vice President, and by 2000 he was Chief Strategy Officer. The rise through the company was noteworthy for such a young man (prompting columnist Dan Fost of the San Francisco Chronicle to pen the question “How can a 28-year-old be senior anything?”<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/03/04/BU98635.DTL&hw=barzun&sn=002&sc=874 San Francisco Gate]</ref> ), but Barzun’s innovative ideas and tactics built upon his earlier successes. Barzun’s most recent business activities have involved Internet publishing start-ups. In 2006 he helped found a company called MedTrackAlert, which was later reportedly sold in 2008 to the Health Central Network.<ref>[http://louisville.bizjournals.com/louisville/stories/2008/06/09/daily15.html Louisville courier-Journal]</ref>


==Political experience==
==Political experience==
Barzun’s small-dollar fundraisers were supporter driven via online event pages, and replicated throughout the country.
Matthew Barzun was a volunteer fundraiser with [[John Kerry]]’s 2004 Presidential bid. Most recently for the Obama 2008 Presidential Campaign, Barzun was a Member of Obama’s National Finance Committee. Matthew Barzun was cited by [[TIME Magazine]] for bringing about the first “small-dollar events” ($25/person) a few weeks after Barack Obama had announced his run for President.<ref name="Time.com"/><ref>[http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090103/NEWS0103/901030372/-1/today Cincinnati.com]</ref> Barzun’s small-dollar fundraisers were supporter driven via online event pages, and replicated throughout the country.

<blockquote>"It's the difference between hunting and farming. You plant a seed, and you get much more."</blockquote>


In ''The Audacity to Win'', author and political strategist [[David Plouffe]] describes Matthew Barzun’s grassroots campaign idea as “citizen fundraisers” that drove Obama’s connection with supporters.<ref>{{cite book
In ''The Audacity to Win'', author and political strategist [[David Plouffe]] describes Matthew Barzun’s grassroots campaign idea as “citizen fundraisers” that drove Obama’s connection with supporters.<ref>{{cite book
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| location = New York
| location = New York
| isbn = 978-0670021338}}</ref>
| isbn = 978-0670021338}}</ref>

When Matthew Barzun moved from [[San Francisco, California]] to [[Louisville, Kentucky]] he became involved with civic engagement, interfaith matters,and next generation leadership through the Bingham Fellows, Leadership Louisville Center (formerly the Leadership Louisville Foundation), and the Louisville Free Public Library Foundation. <ref>[http://www.lfpl.org/foundation/biographies.htm Louisville Free Public Library Foundation]</ref><ref>[http://www.lfpl.org/foundation/Annual_Report.pdf Louisville Free Public Library Foundation]</ref><ref>[http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20081228/NEWS01/81227009 Louisville Courier-Journal]</ref>


The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, chaired by Senator John Kerry, was expected to approve Barzun's nomination during the week of 3-7 August 2009, but it is unknown if the full Senate will vote on it before recessing on 7 August.<ref>Kentucky Public Radio news for 3 August 2009. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/weku/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1537973/Central.and.Eastern.Kentucky/Kentuckian.Picked.for.Swedish.Ambassador</ref> The nomination was confirmed on August 7 and Barzun was sworn in on August 12.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, chaired by Senator John Kerry, was expected to approve Barzun's nomination during the week of 3-7 August 2009, but it is unknown if the full Senate will vote on it before recessing on 7 August.<ref>Kentucky Public Radio news for 3 August 2009. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/weku/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1537973/Central.and.Eastern.Kentucky/Kentuckian.Picked.for.Swedish.Ambassador</ref> The nomination was confirmed on August 7 and Barzun was sworn in on August 12.

Revision as of 22:57, 19 November 2010

Matthew Barzun
United States Ambassador to Sweden
Assumed office
August 12, 2009
Preceded byMichael M. Wood
Personal details
BornOctober 23, 1970
New York, New York, USA
SpouseBrooke Brown Barzun
Alma materHarvard College

Matthew Winthrop Barzun (born October 23, 1970 in New York City, New York) is an American business executive who is known for his work with CNET Networks and for his volunteer work on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.[1][2] President Barack Obama formally nominated Barzun as the next U.S. Ambassador to Sweden on 19 June 2009 and he appeared before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations for confirmation on 28 July. Barzun was sworn in on August 12, 2009, and presented his credentials to King Carl XVI Gustaf on August 21, 2009.[3]

Education

Barzun grew up in Lincoln, Massachusetts and received his A.B. in history and literature magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1993. In his testimony to the Senate during his confirmation vetting, Barzun noted that he had served as a summer intern to Massachusetts Senator John Kerry in 1989. Prior to his college education Matthew Barzun was a student at St. Paul’s School in New Hampshire. After graduating from Harvard College, Barzun began working with CNET Networks.

Political experience

Barzun’s small-dollar fundraisers were supporter driven via online event pages, and replicated throughout the country.

In The Audacity to Win, author and political strategist David Plouffe describes Matthew Barzun’s grassroots campaign idea as “citizen fundraisers” that drove Obama’s connection with supporters.[4]

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, chaired by Senator John Kerry, was expected to approve Barzun's nomination during the week of 3-7 August 2009, but it is unknown if the full Senate will vote on it before recessing on 7 August.[5] The nomination was confirmed on August 7 and Barzun was sworn in on August 12.

Personal

Matthew Barzun is a descendent of John Winthrop, the first governor of Massachusetts, and Lucretia Mott [6], a proponent of women's rights. He is married (since 1999) to Brooke Brown Barzun [7]. They have three children, Jacques Barzun II, Eleanor Barzun, and Charles Barzun. Matthew Barzun’s grandfather is the renowned French-born American cultural historian and former Columbia University professor, Jacques Martin Barzun. He is one of four children, his younger sister is film producer Lucy Barzun Donnelly, Emmy and Golden Globe winner for her work producing Grey Gardens for HBO. His youngest brother, Charles Barzun, is a professor of law at the University of Virginia.

Board memberships

  • Center for Interfaith Relations
  • Louisville Public Media
  • Louisville Free Public Library Foundation
  • Louisville Urban League
  • Teach Kentucky
  • Member, Prichard Committee
  • Greater Louisville Project
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by U.S. Ambassador to Sweden
2009 – 		Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ Gerth, Joseph "Innovator aided march to presidency" Louisville courier-Journal Dec 28, 2008
  2. ^ Time.com
  3. ^ http://stockholm.usembassy.gov/newsflash/barzun_testimony.html
  4. ^ Plouffe, David (2009). The Audacity to Win. New York: Viking Adult. ISBN 978-0670021338.
  5. ^ Kentucky Public Radio news for 3 August 2009. http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/weku/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1537973/Central.and.Eastern.Kentucky/Kentuckian.Picked.for.Swedish.Ambassador
  6. ^ Dagens Nyheter chat with public as newly appointed Ambassador to Sweden
  7. ^ BluegrassReport.org

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