Matt Kistler joined the Pacific Institute in August 2025 as CEO of the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC) an industry-driven, CEO-led initiative in partnership with the UN Global Compact, the CEO Water Mandate, and the Pacific Institute. In this role, Matt is responsible for advancing the WRC’s mission to drive measurable, collective impact on global water resilience through corporate leadership and cross-sector collaboration. 

Matt brings more than 25 years of executive experience at the intersection of business transformation, corporate strategy, and sustainability. A respected leader in the field, he has held senior roles across global retail, consumer goods, and business consultancy. His previous leadership positions include serving as Chief Sustainability Officer at Walmart and President of McDonough Innovation, in addition to roles in marketing, merchandising, product development, and strategy with Kraft Foods, Sam’s Club, and Walmart. 

Widely recognized for his strategic clarity, operational rigor, and ability to align purpose with performance, Matt blends deep business acumen with a longstanding commitment to systems-level change and sustainable development. 

He holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a BA in Marketing from Michigan State University.