Matthew Curran, Head of Development - NWN Carousel & Founder - The 33 Foundation

Matthew Curran, head of development for NWN Carousel and founder of the 33 Foundation, talks with Mike about his remarkable recovery from a spinal cord injury, hybrid work, and inclusivity in the workplace.

Episode Transcript

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The following broadcast is paid for byWhat's at Risk. This is What's at
Risk with Mike Christian on WBZ,Boston's news radio. Hi, Mike Christian,
here of What's at Risk. Firstup on tonight's show, we speak
with Matthew Kerran, head of developmentfor NWN Carousel and founder of the thirty

(00:22):
three Foundation. He talks about hisremarkable recovery from a spinal cord injury,
hybrid work, and inclusivity in theworkplace. Our second segment features Rich Rabino,
noted political analyst and speaker, discussingtoday's political landscape, his views on
the upcoming presidential election, and anecdotesabout past and present politicians. Matthew Kerran

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serves as the head of corporate Developmentfor NWN Carousel, a national powerhouse in
cloud communications and hybrid work. Inaddition, Matt is the founder and executive
director of the thirty three Foundation,a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping spinal cord
injury patients maximize recovery potential. Hispassion stems from his own personal triumph recovering

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from a spinal cord injury. Byeto well, Hello everyone, We're here
with Matt Kurran, Matt, greatto have you here. Thanks a lot
for spending some time with us today. Thank you very much. Excited and

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honored for sure to be spending alittle bit of time with you. So
thanks, thank you, And maybea good place to start it would be
to talk about your background and yourlife's significant journey to this point. Sure,
I grew up in Massachusetts, grewup playing hockey, went to Catholic
Memorial and Boston, and from therewent to Providence College. Hockey exposed me

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to and connected me to a lotof amazing people, a lot of amazing
places and experience. Is ultimately themost life changing of those was my spinal
cord injury, which occurred off theice. In two thousand and one,
after my junior year at Providence,was involved in an accident where I fell
off of a roof in Florida morethan thirty feet approximately thirty three feet,

(02:21):
somewhat ironically given that that was myhockey number at Providence, but also how
many vertebrae or and the healthy humanspine as a result of my fall,
among breaking more than twenty other bones, I broke my neck at cervical six.
So I think behind your atoms appleand then thoracic three and four,
which is behind your chest line.So I broke my neck in my back

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and was paralyzed. From Florida wasmed flighted to Atlanta, Georgia to the
Shepherd Center, which is a worldrenowned spinal cord injury focused hospital catastrophic care
facility, where I spent the betterpart of six months working through getting ready
for life. In the chair.I had the ability to move my body

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above my chest, but nothing below, no feeling, no movement. Approached
this as a twenty one year oldsurrounded by my family, what now more
than twenty years later was effectively productivedisbelief rejection of the never walk again prognosis,
which is what I received from thedoctors, and in hindsight, it

(03:30):
was probably helpful for that to bethe outlook in the prognosis in terms of
feeding the fighter. Spent that thatspringing summer down in Georgia and ultimately ended
up walking out of that hospital inLake Braces with crutches through a ton of
good fortune, blessing and hard work. Look back on that as my life

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changing event. Returned to Providence formy senior year, did a lot of
therapy on my own and in andaround the hockey team, which was really
good mentally, socially, not backon the ice, but just being around
great people that knew me before andafter. It was very helpful. Finished
up my undergrad education, had alot of time and therapeutic needs that still
lingered going to my second year ofrecovery, and so I was able to

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pursue a graduate degree at Providence whilespending at least fifty percent of my time
furthering my physical recovery. Made alot of strides, shedding the braces,
shedding the crutches, moved out ofmy MBA at Providence and joined the New
England Technology Circle. Started out mycareer at big Tech with EMC, an
amazing company, great place to learnand train and understand what it meant to

(04:35):
contribute in an organization of scale.Came up the finance rout kind of doing
the analysis, doing some M andA support, doing some revenue and sales
support types roles, and really wantedto just put myself in the biggest pond
possible and found that in technology there'sa lot of change that makes those support
roles, those planning roles, moreexciting than more fixed and rigid industries and

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models. Perhaps was still looking atgetting better. My walking wasn't great,
my balance wasn't great, but Iwas free of any supportive devices, which
was a milestone. It'still a longway to go, And it dawned on
me in twenty twelve that I hadbeen fighting this fight for eleven years and
making a lot of progress as thelucky one. A lot of folks fight

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just as hard, if not harder, and don't see that progress. And
so to me, the best wayto return to the universe the good fortune
that I received was to help thosefolks. It was important for me to
realize it's time to help some otherfolks out because I got a lot of
help on my journey in the earlydays, and so started the thirty three
Foundation, put together a small golfevent and sent the money we made back

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down to the Shepherd's Center so thatfamilies could pay for hotels, like my
family was lucky enough to be ableto do when that was such a key
part of me getting back up.So I know the burden that puts on
folks, and it puts a familyin a really tough spot in uncharted territory,
certainly an unplanned financial event on topof the emotional and other things that
hopefully people should be able to actuallyfocus on instead. But you just no

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one plan, you know, youdon't live a life planning for a catastrophic
event, hopefully, so decided tojust keep going and build the thirty three
Foundation little by little. So itstarted out as a fall event and you
know, has grown. So thisfall fast forward to twenty twenty three.
On the thirty three Foundation side,we've just finished our fourteenth annual event when

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we were able to raise one hundredand seventy thousand dollars for Debbie Ward,
our newest beneficiary that she's going tobe able to use for making life at
home more accessible, paying for expensiveoutpatient therapy that's going to help her maximize
her potential. So we take alot of pride. I take a lot
of pride in what the foundation hasgrown to become, in how we never

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took some of the some of thenatural opportunities to say, okay, we've
done enough. You know, rightnow, it's my wife, Audra and
I and it's some really amazinglunteer members, but there's a lot of underserved people
like that really That's the part thatkeeps me going is that we have amazing
donors that contribute meaningful money to individualsyou're after, hear, and that's our

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model. We help people who havea specific need and we ask them to
self advocate back to our donor baseand keep it intimate. Tremendous story,
Matt, Let me just ask youone question about your recovery. People see
a lot of different types of spinalinjuries, and often it's the more high
profile sports injuries. Yours wasn't asports injury, just by the fact that
you were an athlete, and Iknow every spinal injury is not the same.

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But what do you see in yourrecovery, because it's pretty remarkable to
come back to the spot that youdid. What was I won't call it
a secret, but a secret tosuccess, But what was the key thing
for you to get back to whereyou're at today from a really devastating injury.
There's a few and I don't pretendto know them all, and so

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the ones I know of because it'sit is the secret question. Having been
an athlete, had my pre injurycondition in the best possible starting point so
that my body wasn't facing any otheradversity than the obvious. I wasn't a
smoker. I wasn't not to judgeanybody or anything. But when I've asked

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this very question to the doctors,there are certain things that are less obviously
connected to making the odds even harder. One of the reasons you want to
get to a facility like the ShepherdCenter in Atlanta is that as soon as
you can safely and structurally go intowhether it be guided movement or movement,
or working on breathing and keeping yourlungs clean. So it was really the

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fact that my family and my fatherfought for me to get into the Shepherd
Center would be number would be numbertwo, so a good starting point,
an amazing level of care. Andthen I'm a big believer in visualization,
in belief. What I didn't sayabout my hockey career is I was always
the definitely the fighting to beyond theteam guy. You know, I'm not

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the All American by any means,So for me, it was it became
clear that all of those teams Ifought to make and stay on had me
ready for that fighter mentality. I'mso lucky that as a result of my
fighting some connections started to get remadeand signals started to flow in family too,
right, I mean, I'm soblessed with I probably should have said

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this first, but having your familyaround you. When you wake up from
a twelve day coma, your life'sentirely different. You're in the hospital bed
and you can't feel seventy five percentof your body. Fear is number one,
two and three. But when youlook at your parents and you look
at your brothers and sisters, you'relike, all right, well, God,
I got them here to help meout and take care of me.

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So I again that's I'm such alucky guy, which I wouldn't have said
twenty years ago. Well, you'rea lucky guy. But I think you
put some big effort into it too. So that's a great story, Matt.
Thanks for sharing that with us.I know that's a personal story,
so it's not often easy to talkabout those things, but thank you.
Maybe we'll flip to your profession,and that's as a development person for corporate

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development for NWN Carousel. Maybe justtell us a little bit about your role
and the mission of the company.Absolutely, I'm very fortunate to work with
and work at a company that's focusedon ensuring organizations, enterprises, schools,
healthcare facilities. You know, allof the folks that make those organizations work

(10:37):
can collaborate and can interact in africtionless, safe, reliable, and productive
way. We do that through bringingto market solutions that really are focused on
the user experience, the customer experience, our experience. The way we're doing
this recording right now, it's clickingthe button easy. Neither of us had
any issues, you know, whetherin about security on activity. The quality

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is excellent. And all of thisis happening over and over a network,
and I'm talking to you on anendpoint in NW and Carousel brings that end
to end solution to our customers.And we've got five thousand amazing customers.
Right We have massive educational organizations,we have universities, colleges, healthcare facilities,
and some of the biggest companies inthe world, and we support those

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companies those people in those experiences witheleven hundred strong employees focused really all over
the United States. So it's anamazing group of people passionate about bringing the
very latest technologies to collaboration, engagement, interaction and really doing as I said,

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for some amazing, amazing customers withsome of the top technology partners in
the world. Yeah, that's tryand just do you And obviously since COVID
hybrid work, remote work is justtaken off, it's you know, it's
everywhere for for organizations, I thinkto be competitive and recruiting people, they
have to have some hybrid or remoteaspect to the jobs that they have.

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Do you think just taking looking atit from the other perspective and you guys
accommodate communication and togetherness for remote workworkforces, do you think it's also taking
away from the work experience for youngerpeople and for people that you are hopeful
of getting of being able to moveup in their organization because they don't have

(12:31):
that day to day contact with eithersenior leaders or even their teams, or
they don't get them mentoring that maybeI might have gotten because there was no
such thing as remote work when Iwas starting out. Your thoughts around that,
it's a great question, and it'sactually quite the opposite. The talent
that is entering the workforce today wasreally raised in a different manner than we
were. Right, they came up, they were educated in this way,

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they studied in this way, theypursued research and graduate work in this way,
and really it's more broad than hybridwork. For us, it's really
life, right, it's education,as I just talked about a healthcare it's
going to work, quote unquote,it's really just life. You can you
know, you walk the lobby ofany hotel and you see people in various

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pockets with the laptop opener, onthe phone, doing a video call and
being productive. And so while itdoesn't look the way it looked perhaps for
you and I coming up in networking, because I appreciate that the question and
the topic, right, you spenda lot of time maybe in the hallway
getting to learn, but all ofhow that happens is different, and all
of how that happens is technology enabledtoday. And what we found is that
people are actually just being more productiveand focused and intentional with those pockets of

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interaction. It puts the onus onthe individual to be in control of your
own destiny and set out those takea little bit of personal risk, and
really try to build your career thatway. But it's really it's a paradigm
shift, certainly accelerated by the pandemic. But we've looked at third party research
from some of the biggest names inthe world that tell us that what the

(14:00):
pandemic did was pulled in a changethat was coming. Mike and we were
strategically, unfortunately placed in a marketduring a macro event. To number one
support our employees. We spent alot of time and effort making sure that
as folks experienced that paradigm shift,they remained engaged in supported. Right.

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We've found that for a lot ofthe folks I've met on my spinal cord
journey, We've found that the accessthat the pandemic brought through technology for folks
to work, to get back toschool, to see their friends on video
from around the world, maybe thatthey were otherwise challenged to do. Those
walls came down, and as thepandemic moves into the history books, what

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we're really trying to do, bothat work with my teammates at ending Carousel
and at the Foundation, is makesure that that access doesn't go away.
Right, We've got solutions today thatcan support the new model, bring everybody
into the conversation, into the organization. You know, we start looking at
initiatives around inclusive, you know,being inclusive, diverse, having the full

(15:11):
voice of the employee. And Ithink the word disability can have a lot
of different meanings. There are somethat are more obvious when you meet someone
if there's a mobility challenge, butthere are other disabilities. And I don't
think that the technology solutions that Enderdoing Carousel brings to market only creates access

(15:33):
for those folks. It's put disabilitiesaside. I think having the opportunity to
work from wherever you need to befor your life and for your family,
you're doing the right thing for yourfamily. You're healthy in everything the word
healthy means. Yeah. Well,I think you make a lot of good
points, Matt. I'd come froma generation where I would say that face
to face interaction, that's how Igrew up. That's my perspective. I

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probably won't won't change that one hundredpercent, but I do agree with you
that it's a whole new generation.We're having a generational shift on many levels
in many ways in society right now, and I do think this next step
is probably a natural progression. Andyou know, reaching some balance. Balance
is always good of in person andremote, I think makes some sense,

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and being able to accommodate it,like your organization does. I think that's
what will enhance that experience more so, and that's probably just a matter of
progressing to that point. Speaking ofyou touched on disabilities. Governor Heaey recently
created a board to enhance digital accessibilityand rename the Massachusetts Rehab Commission's name to

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mass ability. Would you say there'smore of an opportunity for inclusivity in the
workplace now, especially with organizations likeyou enhancing that. Yes, yes,
for sure. The State's been excellentto work with on this topic and on
these initiatives, and we've got somereally impressive folks with smart approaches to bring

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the entire talent pool into the conversationand making sure that we don't untap some
of the amazing people, experiences andperspectives that we were able to be leveraged
through the pandemic. I know thatbeing a part of the panel here on
December sixth, and being in aconversation with the state, with some of

(17:22):
the educators and with some of thebig technology names like Google, like NW
and Carousel, just sharing ideas andleaning into how does what does this really
mean? How could this all work? And what is the other side of
the handshake that these these organizations andemployers really need to make if they're going
to stand behind being an organization thatis, you know, non discriminatory,

(17:44):
open, and really an equal opportunityprovider. You referenced that panel, it's
called the Future of Work Panel bringingOpportunities for disabled workers into a post pandemic
world. Maybe who's who's on thepanel with you and maybe just tell us
a little bit more about the objectiveof the panel. Yes, absolutely so.
We'll have representatives from the Fisher FisherCollege Leadership Team. We'll have Nancy

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Fradi's co founder of the Pete FradiesFoundation, bringing to the conversation the voice
of the caregiver, one that's maybenot an obvious but just as an important
voice to be heard as you startthinking about access and making sure everyone's got
the ability to work but also workin a model that's productive for people who
maybe just can't get to the officeevery day from eight to five. I'll
be a part of the conversation.Rep. Josh Cutler, the vice chair

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Joint Committee of Children, Families andPersons with Disabilities. So again I talked
about how great the states and supportof the state has been to work with,
and they continue to turn out.Kyle Merritt, key advisor to the
thirty three Foundation, a personal friendin the technology leader Kyle's are part of
the Google Cloud team, and thenChris White, the CEO of Road to
Responsibility. And so what the team'sdone and building up a panel is bringing

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the technology perspective, bringing the personallyaffected perspective, and bringing the legislature to
the conversation. Because what we reallywant to do here is not just be
heard and do a campaign around awareness, but really begin to make and solidify
change. And that change is definedby securing and bringing element of permanence to

(19:15):
access for all to work period.So we're really really excited. Yeah,
that's awesome. And Nancy phrases Ibelieve was the architect of the ice Bucket
Challenge, right was she was thisher idea initially, what an amazing campaign
and what an amazing you know,it's really inspiring to be around someone like
that and to be a part ofthe conversation with them. To me,

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the ice Bucket Challenge was the mostorganic viral awareness campaign that ultimately proved to
be wildly productive in the objective,and they did it in a fun way
that Really, I don't know we'llever see anything like that again. Yeah,
I totally agree. I can rememberfriends doing it, just going out

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in the backyard over there. It'sjust I think I think our kids will
read about its case study on acase study on an amazing person, an
amazing cause, bringing fun a littlebit of silliness to it, right,
But it just reminds us all thatwe can we can make change, we

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can drive change, and we canall be a part of it. Christopher
Reeves said disability is a matter ofperception. Our view of disability is subjective
and affects how we tackle tough times. Christopher reed said it best, instead
of focusing on limitations, we mustrecognize each person's strengths. Disability can actually

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open up opportunities for growth. Peoplewith disabilities often find ways to innovate that
others can't even fathom, leading togreat discoveries. It's important to remember there's
no one size fits allpproach to overcomingadversity. By understanding each person's unique abilities,
we can create more inclusive structures andtechnologies. Businesses and organizations can benefit

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from accessible resources and accommodations. Thisway, they can access a diverse talent
pool and demonstrate their inclusivity. I'llask you one more question. You brought

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up a lot of things, peopleliving with disabilities, your own recovery,
hybrid work, being able to maybeopen the door to more inclusivity. What's
your advice to all of us,really, both individuals and companies, to
be a little more open to inclusivity. You've experienced it yourself, having or
at least the potential of what thatcould have been being in a chair the

(22:00):
rest of your life. You foughtyour way to where you're at today.
What kind of advice would you giveto companies into all of us as individuals.
The advice I'd give would be thatit's shortsighted to undervalue how resourceful the
disabled element of the population is,simply because many of the routine day to

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day activities require figuring out a differentway to get things done. And whether
it's having to figure out how toget my shoes on when I couldn't move
my legs, and how incredibly hardeven pulling pants on was, to how
do I open a door in away where I can get through it with

(22:44):
my chair? For myself, thattype of thinking, that creative type of
thinking. That self belief and solutionbased approach is one that can really have
applicability at work for me. Youknow, I depending on what the initiative
is that I'm working on, Ireally try to look at things that work

(23:06):
in personally in the following way.I know it's going to get done.
I know we're going to achieve achievethe objective. I am confident that I
know how we're going to do it. But I'm fine if it ends up
being a different route to the end. I think a lot of folks,
whether it's a wheelchair or other youknowwise otherwise quote, you know, disabled,
they take the same thing, right, Today's Today's probably going to look

(23:27):
different page by page, but atthe end, it's going to be a
great day and it's the same.It's such an opportunity to bring that that
voice to a corporate conversation. It'sfunny, I've never asked the question.
I'm glad you asked me because I'vealways thought of little things right. It's
just like jeeus. Maybe I've becomemore creative and resource will be you know,

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yeah, I can't quite reach thatthing, so find a way to
knock it down. So it's onmy height, or I'm going to have
to be more thoughtful in planning andcoordinated for my own day because I have
a certain thing I need to getdone at a time, because it has
to do with when I take mymedic. That type of thinking, just
apply it to a different problem anda corporate set of objectives. And I'm
not saying it's got to be everybodyat the table, but I just think
it just like a great lineup inany sport, right, You've got the

(24:10):
complementary set of capabilities, and Ithink that this is one that we should
all celebrate in an ant Yeah,well, thank you for that that insight.
I think that was a terrific answerbecause I don't think people realize how
creative and resourceful you have to beif you're living with a disability, well
regardless of what that disability is.So I think and that creativity and resourcefulness
translates to being more effective on yourjob most likely exactly. Well, listen,

(24:34):
Matt, thank you very much.We've been talking to Matt Kerr and
your insights have been tremendous. Reallyappreciate you being with us today. I've
loved this and I appreciate the timeand you've been great to talk to.
We'll be right back after the newsat the bottom of the hour.