Matt Ulakovic is the Awareness and Events Coordinator for Friends of Strong Memorial Hospital. He’s been an employee of the University of Rochester for 7 years. He was a Public Relations Associate in the University of Rochester Medical Center Internal Communications department previous to his current position.
Matt’s path to the University of Rochester was not a linear one: As a young man, he aspired to be a director or actor, but instead went to a trade school and worked in manufacturing for a local, family-owned machine shop for nearly a decade. He returned to school, “following a non-traditional path to where I am today, doing a job I love, where I truly feel great about the important work that I get to be a part of.”
His colleagues describe Matt as loyal, professional, and genuine in every interaction. He draws inspiration from the remarkable people all around him at URMC: “from our steadfast hospital volunteers in my current role to the life-saving nurses, doctors, and support staff I met while reporting on the innovations, developments, and achievements happening throughout the Med Center in my previous position.”
According to Matt, the most rewarding part of his job is meeting Strong’s outstanding volunteers, learning where they’ve come from and why they serve, and then telling those incredible stories to the world.
In his free time, he enjoys the great outdoors with his husband: camping, gardening, kayaking, snowshoeing, and taking photos of interesting or beautiful scenery. He is also a pet parent to dog Honey and cats Rosie and Kitten.
