
Mark L. Gesner
Executive Director- The Stritch Hub for Innovation and Community Engaged Learning
Departments
The Stritch Hub for Innovation & Community Engaged Learning
Phone
(414) 410-4148
Building
BH Bonaventure Hall 2033
Mailbox
Box 207
Biography
Mark Gesner, Ph.D., serves as the Executive Director of the Hub for Innovation and Community Engaged Learning where he leads the creation and implementation of programs focused on entrepreneurship, leadership, experiential education, and community development. He co-founded and directs Mission Fuel, a business accelerator for nonprofit leaders, hosts the Mission-Driven Leader Speakers Series, and leads the University team supporting Project Pitch It, a TV program showcasing Wisconsin entrepreneurs. He previously served as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and as the Faculty Chair of Community Engaged Learning and Leadership in the College of Business and Management.
Dr. Gesner presents and conducts seminars locally and globally in the areas of leadership, social innovation, community engagement, and intercultural competency. As an Assistant Professor, he has created and taught a variety of classes, including Management Across Cultures, Leadership of the Self and Systems, and Discovering Home, a freshmen seminar for international students. He recently co-authored his first book, entitled, Your Life is Your Message: Discovering the Core of Transformational Leadership (SAGE).
Prior to his current role, Dr. Gesner served as the Director of Community Development for the University of Wisconsin – Parkside where he oversaw programs in workforce development, diversity initiatives, youth mentoring and program evaluation. Before his career in higher education, Dr. Gesner served on the local, regional and national level for Hostelling International – USA, an organization dedicated to educational travel and cross-cultural exchange.
Dr. Gesner earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Journalism from the State University of New York at Albany, a Master’s Degree in Education from Harvard University, and a Doctoral Degree in Leadership for the Advancement of Learning and Service in Higher Education from Cardinal Stritch University.
Education
- B.A., Albany, University at
- Ed.M., Harvard University
- Ph.D., Cardinal Stritch University
Expertise
* Strategic Partnerships
* Social Innovation and Impact
* Transformational Leadership
* Intercultural Competency
* Program Evaluation
Publications & Presentations
Prepare to be Investor Ready 2020 Panelist, Wisconsin Governor’s Economic Development Conference on
Social Impact Investing
Advancing Sustainability through a Social Innovation Mindset 2020
Presenter, College of Menominee Nation Faculty Development Institute
Discovering Your Life’s Message 2019
Article Co-Author, Live Encounters Magazine
Your Life is Your Message: Discovering the Core of Transformational Leadership 2019
Book Co-Author, SAGE Publishing, Business & Management Division
It’s a Zoo Outside, Lead from the Inside 2019
Co-Presenter, Medical College of Wisconsin Community Engagement Conference
Tapping into a New Democracy: Can Smarter Technology Help Forward 2019
Civic Engagement that Counts?
Co-Presenter, Wisconsin Campus Compact Civic Engagement Institute
Social Entrepreneurship 2018
Panelist, Urban Economic Development Association of Wisconsin, Inc. Conference
Got Innovation? How to Disrupt the Status Quo Through Community Engaged 2018
Learning and Leadership
Co-Presenter, National Engaged Scholarship Conference
Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in the United States: Innovative Applications 2018
Presenter, GITAM Institute of Management International Conference on
Technological Innovations in Management Ecosystems
Merging Civic Engagement into the Rank and Tenure Process 2018
Co-Presenter, Wisconsin Campus Compact Civic Engagement Institute
Stritch Talks: This is Engagement! 2018
Co-Convener, Cardinal Stritch University Academic Conference
Fostering International Education Partnerships and Peace in Times of Turmoil 2017
Presenter, National Engaged Scholarship Conference
Fostering International Education Partnerships and Peace in Times of Turmoil 2017
Presenter, Wisconsin Campus Compact Civic Engagement Institute
Your Life is Your Message: Pathways to Servant Leadership 2017
Presenter and Workshop Facilitator, India Higher Education Tour at Nizam College,
GITAM University, Delhi University, and the National Institute of Rural Development
Why Stritch?
"Stritch's values align strongly with my own mission: To be an engaged local and global citizen who supports others in realizing their individual and collective aspirations, and to help them discover home wherever they may roam."
- Mark L. Gesner