Mark Kennedy has served as a university president, U.S. Congressman, and director of a global policy institute. He is President Emeritus of the University of Colorado and former President of the University of North Dakota, where he led strategic transformations focused on student success, research excellence, affordability, and opportunity. In Congress, he advanced bipartisan legislation on trade, infrastructure, and innovation, and spoke candidly in moments of national crisis.
Kennedy currently directs the Wahba Institute for Strategic Competition, shaping U.S. leadership in technology, trade, and economic statecraft. A first-generation college graduate, he is the author of Shapeholders, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Civic Leader supporting the Secretary of the Air Force. His work has engaged leaders in over 45 countries and across sectors—from academia and government to business and defense.