# Sherry Matthews

> Sherry Matthews is the Austin-based founder and CEO of Sherry Matthews Group, an independent communications agency she started in 1983 and redirected toward public-service work after a decisive 1989 trip to Big Bend. A former GSD&M vice president, Matthews also wrote We Were Not Orphans, a 2011 oral history preserving the experiences of more than 50 former residents of the Waco State Home.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Sherry Matthews Group
- **Organizations:** Sherry Matthews Group, GSD&M, Orangutan Foundation International, Miracle Foundation
- **From:** Los Angeles, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Attended, Baylor University, BA in journalism and classics, cum laude, Memphis University
- **Known for:** Founded an independent agency in 1983 that grew into a national communications firm with offices in Austin, New York City, and Washington, D.C., Redirected the agency toward public-service marketing in 1989 and helped develop an issues campaign for the then six-store Whole Foods Market., Authored We Were Not Orphans, a 2011 book preserving more than 50 oral histories from former Waco State Home residents.

## Career timeline

- **1968** — Graduated cum laude from Memphis University with a BA in journalism and classics.
- **1969** — Moved to Austin and took an advertising role as assistant marketing director for a homebuilding company.
- **1973** — Joined GSD&M, where she later became a vice president.
- **1983** — Left GSD&M and founded her own agency at a client's urging; the firm was named Hot Shop of the Southwest in its first year.
- **1989** — After a trip to Big Bend, released her real-estate clients and redirected the agency toward public-service marketing. Whole Foods Market hired the firm days later.
- **2004** — Attended a Waco State Home reunion with her surviving brother, an experience that eventually led to her oral-history project.
- **2008** — Contacted the Waco State Home Ex-Students' Association and began gathering alumni stories and archival material.
- **2011** — University of Texas Press published We Were Not Orphans: Stories from the Waco State Home. Matthews also delivered UT Austin's McGovern lecture on social marketing and social justice.
- **2025** — Sherry Matthews Group was selected by the City of Charlotte for a multi-year CATS marketing and communications contract.

## Achievements

- Founded an independent agency in 1983 that grew into a national communications firm with offices in Austin, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
- Redirected the agency toward public-service marketing in 1989 and helped develop an issues campaign for the then six-store Whole Foods Market.
- Authored We Were Not Orphans, a 2011 book preserving more than 50 oral histories from former Waco State Home residents.
- Delivered the 2011 John P. McGovern Centennial Award Lecture in Health Communication at the University of Texas at Austin.
- Led a firm whose Project Connect public-education campaign preceded 58 percent voter approval, according to the agency's published case summary.
- The agency's Street Smart testimonial work received a 2020 AAF District 10 award in pro bono online film, video, and sound.

## Latest updates

- **2025-11** — Charlotte city records said Sherry Matthews Group best met CATS's needs for a proposed multi-year marketing and communications contract, with estimated expenditures of $5 million.
- **2019-03** — Texas Public Radio featured We Were Not Orphans in a 29-minute Texas Matters segment.

## Links

- Website: https://www.sherrymatthews.com

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sherry-matthews
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-24