Matthew Wheeler, DPPD
Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Matthew Wheeler serves as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Wheeler Company (Wheeler Co).  Since the company’s inception in 2005, Dr. Wheeler has offered a skilled background in strategic management, government relations, and political affairs to Wheeler Co. and our accomplished clients.

Dr. Wheeler started his career as a Senate Fellow in the California State Senate.  While concurrently completing graduate school, Dr. Wheeler continued as Senate staff serving two members of the state legislature and staffing their policy agendas. 

Following his time as legislative staff, Dr. Wheeler served as a legislative advocate representing a myriad of interests, including; local government, small businesses, psychologists, independent hotel owners, health care, mortgage brokers, roofing contractors, building, and construction.

Not a stranger to the political arena and sought for his prowess, Dr. Wheeler has been appointed to multiple posts over the course of his career.  Dr. Wheeler served as the Producer of the California Republican Party’s convention from 2014-2018.  He has been appointed Director by the Republican National Committee for the 2016, 2020, and 2024 California Delegation to the presidential nominating conventions. 

In 2012, Dr. Wheeler joined the University of Southern California (USC) Price School of Public Policy faculty as an Associate Professor.  Dr. Wheeler instructs courses in public administration, advocacy and political leadership at the main campus in Los Angeles, the State Capitol center in Sacramento, and online.

Dr. Wheeler holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in International Relations from the University of San Diego; a Master of Public Administration (MPA) and a Doctoral Degree in Policy, Planning and Development (DPPD), both from the University of Southern California.  In addition to formal course work within the United States, Dr. Wheeler has also studied diplomacy and western European affairs abroad at the Institut d'études politiques d'Aix-en-Provence (IEP) in Aix-en-Provence, France, and has also completed internships with the United Nations European Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and the United States House of Representatives.  He holds organizational management certifications from the Yale School of Management and the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.  Dr. Wheeler is also a certified association executive (CAE) as credentialled by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE). 

Dr. Wheeler resides in Sacramento with his wife Katie and their two young children Elizabeth and Michael.  In their spare time, they enjoy travel, junior sports, and California agriculture of all kinds.  Dr. Wheeler can regularly be heard as a guest political commentator on KNX in Los Angeles and KFBK in Sacramento.