Mark Burstein

Mark Burstein was elected Lawrence University’s 16th president on December 13, 2012 and he assumed office on July 1, 2013. He came to Lawrence from Princeton University where he served as the Executive Vice President for nine years. At Princeton, Mark led efforts to enhance campus life and modernize the University's operations and infrastructure. Before Princeton, Mark held several senior roles at Columbia University from 1994 to 2004. As the Vice President for Facilities Management he developed a plan for a new campus now taking shape in Harlem, acquired over $250 million of real estate for academic development, and completed $1 billion in construction. As Director of Economic Development for the Department of Sanitation he helped found the New York City recycling program, leading efforts to create markets for recyclable material including co-founding a commodities exchange for recyclables at the Chicago Board of Trade. Previously he was an associate in the Public Finance Division of Bear Stearns and a consultant for the Center for Applied Research in the firm's strategy and organizational development practices. Mark earned his M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he was awarded the Morgenthau Fellowship, and his B.A. in History with departmental honors from Vassar College where he received the Catlin Prize for outstanding contribution to the Vassar community. Mark currently serves on the board of trustees of Vassar College, and recently served on the New York City Mayor’s Applied Sciences Advisory Board, leading to the selection of Cornell University for a new campus on Roosevelt Island, and as chair of the board of directors of the Victory Fund, a national political action committee based in Washington D.C.