Mike Caslin's Bio

Professor Michael J. Caslin, III

GCSEN Foundation Founder, Board Chair, and CEO. 

2021 FULBRIGHT SCHOLAR awardee for 4P Social Entrepreneurship in Ireland.

Mike is the Founder and CEO of the Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship (GCSEN Foundation). GCSEN focuses on teaching Social Entrepreneurship through a 4P impact – People, Planet, Place and Profit. Since its 2015 founding, GCSEN Foundation has graduated 100+ Meaning Makers from their Social Venture Bootcamp Program at Wheaton College (MA) while certifying 600 more students from 12 states, 12 countries, via workshops with students from 50 colleges and universities. Key Campus partners include: Lemoyne College Madden School of Business, St. Peter’s University - Guarani School of Business, Babson College, SUNY New Paltz, Vassar College

Mike is recognized as a respected entrepreneur practitioner as well as a Social Entrepreneurship thought leader with his work at Babson College, Investor’s Circle, SJF Institute, STRIVE, and CUNY-Baruch College-Zicklin Business School. Mike has also led and served on internal leadership teams with respected organizations ranging from Babson College, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), Rising Tide Capital, The Fund for American Studies and Urgent VC, LLC. He is experienced in all stages of venture development- ranging from Pre-Revenue R&D, Start-Up, Early Growth, Rapid Growth and Scale to Corporate Turnaround, Renewal, M&A and Harvest Evergreen. He also serves on numerous for and nonprofit boards, and leadership experience in successfully completing 1,000 payroll periods. 

As co-founder and CEO of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), he steered it from insolvency in its first year of operations in 1988 to an annual $20M USA budget by the time he retired in 2008. Over this (20) year period, he led NFTE’s national and global expansion while guiding NFTE through (2) major economic recessions and the September 11, 2001 attack and its aftermath. In the face of these challenges, NFTE achieved consistent annual growth and generated an operating surplus- 18/20 years- thanks to a growing donor base, stronger board leadership at the regional and global level and greater brand identity. He actively fund- raised and helped build the organization to a $30+ Million system-wide annual budget and a $20 Million endowment.

During this time period, he also helped build a global and regional NFTE team as well as Headquarters and Regional Boards that collectively raised Philanthropic capital totaling $145,000,000 over a 20-year period. These resources helped in the creation of a global entrepreneurship education movement of 4,000 teachers who have now helped 2,000,000+ youth and young adults become entrepreneurs in 31 U.S. States and 13 countries on 4 continents. NFTE’s success was captured in two leading Social Entrepreneurship Case Studies focused on NFTE’s founding and subsequent scale (with the inaugural case written by the late Social Entrepreneurship Thought Leader Professor Greg Dees of Harvard Business School) and these case studies are now annual top sellers of the Harvard Business School Press.

Since 2004, Mike has served as an adjunct Faculty member in the role of “Prac-ademic: Practitioner Academic” at Babson College and CUNY-Baruch-Zicklin Business School (Ranked #2 and #1 respectively). Mike is also a co-founding faculty member of three signature Babson initiatives – The Lewis Social Enterprise Campus Initiative, The Green Dorm and The Butler Summer Venture Accelerator Program.

Books

  • “GET TO WOW! EXPLORING YOUR INNER SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR”
    •  A self-guiding practical road map book, taking students, adult learners, businesspeople, makers and searchers on the path to finding and activating their inner Social Entrepreneur. Co-authored by GCSEN Founder & President Mike Caslin, with GCSEN Managing Director Tony DiMarco, GCSEN Consultant Harv Hilowitz and Wheaton College President Dennis Hanno. Featured on Amazon and in Google News.

Media - Feature Articles and Lectures

  • INNER COMPASS MAGAZINE, “Moving the World to a Better Place- Business, Social Entrepreneurship and the Social Good”, July 2018
  • SEATTLE UNIVERSITY, SEATTLE, WA with INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JESUIT BUSINESS SCHOOLS (IAJBS). “The university as a place maker for local economies”.  Lectured to USA and International Administrators, Deans and Faculty members from 45 countries leading (200) Jesuit Business Schools, July 2018
  • NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, Boston, MA. The 14th Annual Social Entrepreneurship Conference, “Exploring the Social Entrepreneur to Social Enterprise to Systems Change”, October 20
  • THINK ABOUT CONFERENCE, Chicago, IL. “The power of the Experience Economy in Learning and Development- GCSEN Foundation’s Life Changing Learning Program via Social Entrepreneurship- an industry case study”, September 2017
  • NAMUR UNIVERSITY, NAMUR, BELGIUM. IAJBS GLOBAL SUMMIT- “Prac-ademic Social Entrepreneurship for a Sustainable World.”Lectured to EU, Asian, Indian and Latin American Administrators, Deans and Faculty members from (200) Jesuit Business Schools, July 2017
  • UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA- HAAS SCHOOL, Los Angeles, CA. The 13th Annual Conference on Social Entrepreneurship, “Organizing the Social Enterprise from Start-Up to Transformative Scale”, November 2016
  • NYU - STERN SCHOOL, New York. The 12th Annual Conference on Social Entrepreneurship, “Exploring Transformative Scale for Social Entrepreneurs, A Practitioners Framework” Authors- Professor Mike Caslin and Joseph Szocik, MA- Harvard Kennedy School
  • UNITED NATIONS- “Towards an Entrepreneurial Culture: A vision for Europe”.  A policy framework presented to 28 member nations of the United Nations Economic Commission on Europe, Geneva, Switzerland, May 2005.
  • UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG and CHARLES UNIVERSITY OF PRAGUE- “The transformative role of Entrepreneurship in emerging democracies.”  An invited lecturer from The Fund for American Studies Institute for Central European and Asian Political and Economic System Studies, July 200

 

College Textbook Publications

  • ABC-CLIO Publishers, Graduate/Undergraduate College Textbook, Featured Chapter Author, “Social Entrepreneurship: How Business Can Transform Society”.  Editor, Dr. Tom Lyons. 2012.

Government Reports or Monographs

  • Aspen Institute, Federal Public Policy, Role: Founder and Contributing Member, “Advancing Entrepreneurship Education- A Report of the Youth Entrepreneurship Strategy Group”, Washington, D.C., 2008.

High School Curriculum

  • Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, High School Text, Co-Author, “Eco-Enterprise: Being Smart About the Environment and Social Issues- One Enterprise, One Entrepreneur at a Time”, New York City, 1999. High School/Community College,  Web Learning Portal, Co-Author, “BizTech- Entrepreneurship On-Line.” 2005 Cody Design Award Finalist For: Best Secondary Education Instruction Solution- Co-Author, 1999, 2005

Other Publications

  • Veritas Publishers, General Audience, Author, “Fallen Innocence, Towering Love: Thoughts For Healing from Ground Zero”. Dartmouth, MA, 2001
  • Career Press Publishers, Adult/High School Student Text, Co-Author, “The Very, Very Rich- How They Got That Way and How You Can Too! Profiles of Phenomenal Entrepreneurs”. New York, 2000.
  • Shore-Side Sailing, Sailboat Racing- Simulations of Strategies, Tactics and Racing Rules, 1984

Faculty

  • Babson College School of Executive Education - International Programs
  • Babson College - Undergraduate/Graduate
  • CUNY-Baruch-Zicklin Business School 
  • LeMoyne College, Madden School of Business
  • Marist College, School of Management
  • St. Peter’s University, Guarani School of Business
  • SUNY New Paltz School of Business

Lecturer

  • Babson College Olin Graduate School of Business (GSB)
  • Bangkok University School of Entrepreneurship Management
  • Columbia University Uris GSB
  • Dartmouth College Tuck GSB
  • Duke University Fuqua School of Business
  • Harvard University Graduate School of Business
  • University of Hong Kong
  • University of Prague
  • University of Southern California Graduate School of Business
  • Wheaton College (MA)

Business Experience

  • 17 Part Time jobs from age 8-21 yrs.
  • FT Employee
  • Entrepreneur
  • Investor
  • Philanthropist 
  • Board duties- (15) For Profit Ventures, (22) Non-Profit Organizations Over 38 Years
  • 14 Ventures in the USA
  • 8 International- Belgium, China, India, Ireland, Germany, UK- England, Scotland, South Africa
  • Turn-Around Consultant to (40) Ventures across 12 Industry Segments in the USA
  • Raised $150M in Financing
  • Aggregate Systems Sales Revenue- $200M+

Professional Honors, Prizes

Harvard University - Harvard for Change- Igniting Innovation Summit on Social Entrepreneurship, 2014.

Featured Lecturer at the largest undergraduate-run conference on Social Entrepreneurship in the nation. The Summit unites students, academics, business leaders, and non-profit leaders, aspiring to be on the cutting edge of social innovation, both locally and internationally. 350 students, academics, and business and nonprofit leaders from six continents. Nominated and selected for innovative ways in breaking previous barriers in energy consumption, improving the lives of countless individuals and redefining the way in which individuals and businesses interact with and receive access to sustainable energy. Recognized “as a thought and leader for professional background, expertise, and incredible innovation in redefining civic consumption with the ultimate effect of accessible and environmentally sustainable energy for communities and as an inspiration to young leaders, entering and flourishing in a challenging, complex work world”. Website http://www.ignitinginnovationsummit.com                                 

The Fund for American Studies, Washington, DC, 2013            

    • CODIE Award for Web Business Learning-Secondary School Education-Finalist  2005  Co-Author of BizTech 2.0- a national finalist. The SIIA CODiE Awards recognize. 
      • Excellence in the business software, digital content, and education technology industries. All nominated products and services receive a thorough review from seasoned industry experts who can identify strengths and give significant insights for improvements. In 27 years, SIIA has recognized more than 1,000 companies for achieving greatness in industries that expect innovative thinking and demand market validation.

Dartmouth College, Award, Tuck Graduate School of Business 2003                            

The Halpern Award for Outstanding Contribution to the field of Social Entrepreneurship. 

  • Babson College, Award, Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators 1999 1,000+ College Faculty Global Peer Reviewed - Appel Annual Prize Winner for “an individual who brings entrepreneurial vitality to academe in the true spirit of the Price-Babson College Fellows Program for perseverance, innovativeness and excellence demonstrated over the years.”
  •  Norfolk Charitable Trust World Fellowship Program, London, England, UK 1999
  • Graduate, Fellowship- Selected as sole USA Representative. Brief: Conduct a (12) city, (5) continent field observation of the impacts of mass urbanization (aka urban conurbations) on society and present a visionary solution- focused framework for effectively countering these trends.
  •  Windsor Society Member (UK), Ayershire, Scotland, UK 1998                                         
  • Graduate, Fellowship- USA Representative to the Windsor Society- Discussions on the Future of the UK founded by King Henry VIII. 

 

 Expert Witness Testimony

  • U.S. Congress- U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship
  • U.S. Congress- House of Representatives Committee on Commerce Education and Technology
  • The White House Domestic Policy Council and the U.N. Economic Commission of Europe 

Community Building

  • 2,000,000+ Youth Entrepreneurs across 31 states and 13 countries, NFTE
  • 1,000+ Adult Micro-Entrepreneurs, Rising Tide Capital
  • 6000 Social Entrepreneurs, GCSEN Foundation
  • 4,000 Entrepreneurship Teachers, NFTE University
  • 150 HISE Mentees, Babson College, Baruch College, NFTE

Education

  • B.A. Dual Major Economics & Political Science from Manhattanville College
  • M.B.A. at Babson College F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business, Concentration- Entrepreneurship

Fellowships

  • University of Arizona- Economics Science Laboratory with Nobel Prize Winner for Economic Prof. Vernon Smith
  • Georgetown University- The Fund For American Studies, ICPE3
  • Price-Babson Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators
  • Norfolk Trust Sustainable City World Fellows Program

Teaching Motivation and Philosophy

I love teaching. Why? It is an incredible gift and honor to see first-hand the power of conceiving, believing and achieving occur within my students during the length of an academic semester and beyond. Reading their qualitative feedback surveys after each semester further reinforces that I’ve contributed to their growth process.

I have had the blessing of lecturing, teaching, and working with a wide range of people from the lowest income to the most prestigious and credentialed graduate school students, from the next generation scions of the world’s wealthiest business families to the multi-generation impoverished on many continents. From those who are physically challenged, incarcerated or learning disadvantaged/labeled the “R” word to the most gifted and resourced.

I have seen in the eyes of each student a desire to learn, dream, to change their lives for the better and to change the world for the better. Given the state of our very needy world, it is only through education that we can help support more flames of knowledge that will light up the darkness. This is why I believe that I must teach and support organizations that share this same passion. I believe knowledge with wisdom (applied knowledge in action) is power and as a teacher I have a right and a duty to share the knowledge and the accumulated wisdom gained from my own career path.  I often say, “I don’t have all the answers, just earned perspective so each student can choose their own answers in life.”

I believe that as an educator I am walking Joseph Campbell’s, “The Thousand Faces of A Hero”. This “hero path” is with my students, a shared journey beginning in the classroom which goes beyond the semester – and allows us to grow together. Over the decades I have had hundreds of active mentees, together we chose to depart from the comfortable, gain enlightenment through struggle and most importantly we commit to “the return” to teach others (our colleagues, our fellow students, our friends and families) what we have learned. I believe that educators have a noble duty to find new truths and affirm old ones based on rigorous research, writing, debate, presentations and most importantly what we learn from our students. We have a noble duty to inspire, challenge and nurture our students in and beyond the classroom. In my role as a teacher I am enabled to see through the window of hope that each classroom door offers and the potential that lies within my students. It is my sacred duty to help my students see and tap into their natural God-given potential, the joy comes from helping their inner masterpiece emerge. I believe that entrepreneurship education is a great individual liberator, societal equalizer and the most powerful, pragmatic and peaceful nation builder. I believe that social entrepreneurship that seeks to transform society with intentional 4P Impact- People, Profit, Planet and Place is one of the fastest growing and transformative non-coercive forces for good that exists on our planet today.