Early Bird

Alumni Philanthropist of the Year

The MSU Denver Alumni Association celebrates the generosity of Matt Maley on behalf of his late friend.

By Lynne Winter ’17

September 28, 2021

When friend, colleague and fellow Metropolitan State University of Denver alumnus Matt Campbell (B.A. Speech Communications, ’03) passed away in August 2019, Matt Maley (pictured) knew he needed to do something to honor Campbell’s memory and ensure that his legacy lived on.

“When Matt died, I didn’t want to let his name die with him,” says Maley, who graduated from MSU Denver in 2006 with a B.S. in Marketing and is now a principal at Alliance Investments, a real-estate development company. “I wanted to celebrate him.”

Maley first met Campbell, a renowned business-development professional in the architecture, engineering and construction industries, in 2005. He says they bonded over their similar backgrounds, including having mutual friends from the north Denver neighborhood and being Roadrunners.

“We hit it off immediately,” he says. “Being MSU Denver alumni created an instantaneous bond – we knew each of us came to the table with the same kind of hardworking mentality.”

For years, Campbell and Maley worked together, becoming close friends and introducing each other to everyone they knew.

“We were both business-development/marketing guys, so our goal was to build networks,” Maley says. “The more people we knew, the more opportunities we could find.”

While attending MSU Denver, Campbell worked as a technician for CTL Thompson, and after graduating, he stayed on for over 10 years as a business-development consultant. In 2012, he began working for MKK Consulting Engineers, now IMEG, becoming an associate in 2018. Campbell was engaged on multiple industry boards throughout his career and served a term as president of the Colorado chapter of the Society for Marketing Professionals.

Campbell’s passing left a void that Maley wants to fill by shining a light on the way his friend lived.  

“Matt was so selfless in the way he would introduce people,” Maley says. “If you got a job, he would contact your employer out of the blue just to tell them how great of a person you were to set the table for your success.”

Maley this year established the Matthew P. Campbell Future Marketing Professionals Endowment to provide tuition assistance to MSU Denver students majoring in Marketing or Communication Studies. The scholarship also includes a one-year paid membership with the Colorado chapter of  the Society for Marketing Professionals, providing students with the opportunity to network with business leaders, development officers and marketing managers.

Over the past six months, Maley helped spearhead fundraising efforts that included hosting a memorial concert to celebrate the life, influence and passion his friend shared with the world. The community Campbell loved so much has stepped up to raise over $50,000 so far, transforming what was initially an annual scholarship into an endowed scholarship that will live on in perpetuity, changing the lives of future Roadrunners and allowing Campbell’s name to live on at MSU Denver.

“With this scholarship, Matt will continue to facilitate introductions between up-and-coming students and their future employer or their next colleague,” Maley says, “just like he did throughout his whole life.”

This week, Maley will be honored as the Alumni Philanthropist of the Year during the 2021 Alumni Awards Luncheon on Saturday from noon-2 p.m. at the SpringHill Suites at MSU Denver.

Contact Allyssa Joseph, director of Development, for more information about supporting the Matthew P. Campbell Future Marketing Professionals Endowment.