PhD in Psychology

Dr. Michelle Marks, 1998

Dr. Michelle Marks

The annual Distinguished Alumni Reception recognizes the accomplishments of an exemplary alum from each of the academic programs in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Those honored are nominated by department chairs, faculty and staff, based on criteria that includes professional accomplishments, awards, philanthropy, service and contributions to the college and university community. In Fall 2017, the Psychology Department honored Dr. Michelle Marks.

Dr. Michelle Marks is the Vice President for Academic Innovation and New Ventures at George Mason University. In this capacity, she is responsible for identifying, launching, and sustaining educational initiatives that fulfill George Mason’s strategic plan and generate financial resources to support students, faculty and the educational mission. Charged with creating accessible student pathways and bringing learning science innovations to campus, Michelle is leading university initiatives designed to deliver online programming at scale, create pathway programming for international students, and support adult degree completion through the establishment of strategic partnerships with businesses, government, and education institutions.

Michelle has been a champion for increasing higher education access and completion rates for Virginia’s students and is currently leading a joint initiative with Northern Virginia Community College that will launch a new student transfer model for community college students interested in pursuing a four-year degree. She oversees Mason Learning Solutions, the Office of Digital Learning, Academic Initiatives, and Services, and the Academic Ventures project management group. 

Michelle has previously served as George Mason’s Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Associate Provost for Graduate Education. As a professor of management in Mason’s School of Business, she spent her career researching organizational leadership development and teamwork. She has published studies illustrating the dynamic nature of the collaborative processes used by organizational teams and the critical roles of team leaders. In 2006, she was honored with the George Mason University Teaching Excellence Award and was the recipient of the Executive MBA Professor of the Year award in 2008 and 2011.