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Mark R. Kennedy is the founding director of the Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition, an independent institute advancing U.S. strategy in a contested global order. A first-generation college graduate, Kennedy has served as President of the University of Colorado and the University of North Dakota, and as a U.S. Congressman from Minnesota. His leadership spans public service, higher education, global strategy, and civic renewal.
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In Congress, he championed bipartisan legislation to strengthen global competitiveness, drive infrastructure investment, and foster innovation. As a university president, he led institutional transformations focused on student success, research excellence, affordability, and inclusive opportunity. His cross-sector perspective—shaped by experience in business, government, academia, and nonprofits—enables him to bridge silos, align institutions with national priorities, and strengthen America’s strategic resilience.
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Kennedy is the author of Shapeholders (Columbia University Press), a Senior Fellow at CNA, a Civic Leader supporting the Secretary of the Air Force, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
