Matt Best
Operations and Research Coordinator
Matt Best is an operations consultant for Motivate Lab, where his work focuses on organizational and people processes. He graduated with a B.A. in Psychology and Spanish from James Madison University in 2018. In his studies, Matt completed an Honors thesis on the relationships between motivation and performance in elite youth soccer players under the supervision of fellow lab members Kenn Barron, Chris Hulleman, and Yoi Tibbetts.
Cultivating authentic, lasting connections with people throughout the world is central to Matt's life. A quote that encapsulates one of his values that ties into this central part of his life is this: “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” He has traveled (and couchsurfed) in various countries in Europe and the Americas, where he has spoken about his work and built relationships with various sport and educational psychologists. He is a fluent speaker of Spanish and Portuguese.