Matt Slate '96 first arrived on East Carolina University's campus as a band camp kid, lugging his trumpet around AJ Fletcher Music Center. As a student, he majored in biology with a minor in business, but found a career in finance. Now he's a senior loan trader in the Global Markets Division for Bank of America, staying in tune with the trillion-dollar leveraged loan market.
It's a fast-paced job based in New York City, but Slate still finds time to visit Greenville often. Whether he's coming back for an athletics event, serving on a university committee or speaking to students, Slate is determined to make an impact at ECU. That's why he and his wife, Kelly, have made multiple gifts to the university, including two scholarships in biology and planned gifts to biology and the Pirate Club, respectively.
"My motivation is about leaving a legacy that helps ECU's trajectory and sustainability," he said. "We all hope to leave a mark, and that's the mark I wanted to leave."
High school sweethearts Matt and Kelly recently celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. They live in Chatham, New Jersey, with their daughter, Ella, dog Jane and cat Pee Dee. The Slates first considered giving back to ECU when Matt's father, Bill Slate, died 11 years ago. He was an educator and a biology major. His death caused Matt to rethink his priorities and led him to explore the different ways to leave a gift to ECU. "The Slate Family Endowment was a way to honor my dad and support a program I cared about," he said.
"I could see it was something he was passionate about, and we're lucky to have extra money that we can use to help others," Kelly added. "Plus, Matt's company matches donations." Bank of America, like many companies, matches employee's donations up to a certain amount each year.
In addition to biology, the endowment includes scholarship support for women's sports programs. The Slates are also annual supporters of the Beacon Scholarship Program, Alumni Association scholarships, the ECU College of Business and the Voyages of Discovery lecture series. And Matt Slate is the board chair for the ECU Foundation.
Getting to connect with their first scholarship recipient showed Slate what an impact he was making. She was a first-generation student whose family emigrated from Nigeria and expressed how much the scholarship helped ease the cost of a biology degree.
"In a tiny way, I was part of that," he said. "That made giving back easy for me."
Slate recently reflected on his journey as a speaker for the ECU Alumni Association's Pirate's Path series. He said he loved every minute of his time at ECU, from his band camp days to working as a DJ for the radio station WZMB. After graduating, he moved to Charlotte, where he got an entry-level job in finance — an opportunity that came about thanks to an ECU connection.
"Even though I went into banking, the biology department taught me how to think and how to problem solve," he said. "Just because you went to college for one thing doesn't mean you can't pivot."
In 2001, Slate received his MBA from UNC Charlotte. His initial pivot from biology to banking turned into a 23-year career with Bank of America. But Slate never forgot his formative education at ECU. He and Kelly hope their family's gifts inspire a culture of giving back.
"It doesn't take a lot to move the needle," he said.
