Sean-Tamba Matthew

sean.matthew@sesesop.com 215.508.7705 LinkedIn vCard Print this Bio

Sean advises private funds, independent sponsors, companies, business owners, boards of directors, and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) trustees on transactional, corporate governance and formation matters related to the design and implementation of ESOPs and advises clients on general corporate matters and mergers and acquisitions. Sean is a frequent guest speaker on a range of employee ownership topics.

Sean is a Kellogg Fellow at the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. He coordinates the Institute for the Study of Employee Ownership and Profit Sharing’s W.K. Kellogg Foundation program, which helps minority and female business owners and their advisors learn about employee ownership transitions.

He is a member of the board of directors of Empowered Ventures, an ESOP-owned holding company headquartered in Indiana, an advisory board member of Talley Management Group, an employee-owned company based in New Jersey, and he is the secretary of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Business Law Section.

In addition to his professional work, Sean serves as a member of the Board of Directors of Independence Mission Schools, a network of 14 independent Catholic schools providing a transformative education to children of all faiths across Philadelphia, and Nutritional Development Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to alleviating food insecurity in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Education

  • Temple University Beasley School of Law, J.D., 2013
  • University of Pennsylvania, B.A., Political Science, 2008

Bar Admissions

  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey

Memberships/Affiliations

  • The ESOP Association
  • National Center for Employee Ownership
  • Barristers Association of Philadelphia
  • The African-American Chamber of Commerce of PA, NJ and DE
  • Pennsylvania Bar Association,
    • Business Law Section Council and Member
      • Title 15 Committee
      • Closely-Held Business Committee
  • Philadelphia Bar Association
    • Business Law Section, Small Business Committee
  • Talley Management Group, Advisory Board
  • Association for Corporate Growth, Cleveland and New Jersey Chapters
  • Exit Planning Exchange, Philadelphia Chapter
  • Nutritional Development Services of the Archdioceses of Philadelphia, Director and Vice President
  • Independence Mission Schools, Director
  • Our Mother of Consolation Parish School, Advancement Committee
  • Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance and the ICA Group, Pro Bono Attorney

Recognition

  • Recognized among the “Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyers in America, Bala Cynwyd, PA, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, Corporate Law, 2023-Present
  • Recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, Pennsylvania, 2024
  • Listed among the “Philadelphia Forty Under 40” by City & State PA, 2023
  • Named among the “40 Under 40” by the Philadelphia Business Journal, 2021

Selected Publications

Selected Speaking Engagements 

  • “Roles & Responsibilities of Leader & Employee Owners in an ESOP,” panelist, The ESOP Association’s TEA 2022 National Conference, May 3-6, 2022
  • “Estate and Business Succession Planning for Family-Owned Businesses,” co-presenter, Philadelphia Bar Association, Philadelphia, PA, Dec. 10, 2020
  • “Tale of the Tape – Comparing and Contrasting the Business Transition Options (ESOPs, Management Buy-Outs, and Third-Party Sales) for Closely-Held Business Owners,” co-presenter, Pennsylvania Bar Institute Business Law Institute, Philadelphia, PA, Nov. 18, 2020
  • “Is an ESOP Right for You?” Exit Planning Exchange Philadelphia seminar, Newtown, PA, Feb. 26, 2020
  • “The Advantages of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) for a Closely-Held Business Owner,” co-presenter, Pennsylvania Bar Institute Business Law Institute, Philadelphia, PA, Nov. 22, 2019
  • “ESOP Jeopardy,” 2019 Multi-State ESOP Conference, Pocono Manor, PA, Sept. 19, 2019
  • “Legal and Regulatory Update,” 2019 Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter of The ESOP Association, State College, PA, March 28, 2019
  • “ESOP Jeopardy,” 2019 Pennsylvania/Delaware Chapter of The ESOP Association, State College, PA, March 27, 2019

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