Mark Ursic, Executive Director of Renaissance Academy, brings 20 years of experience in leadership, management, strategic planning, organizational development and school administration to Renaissance. Mr. Ursic earned a Bachelor of Science in Management from Brigham Young University in 1996. Prior to his present position he spent 15 years working in operational management positions in both corporate and educational environments.

As operations director for the Higher Education Services Division of Marriott International (MMS), Mr. Ursic successfully improved the infrastructure of his client institutions by creating a culture of improvement and excellence. In this role he worked with clients such as the U.S. Olympic Training Center—Colorado Springs, Whittier College and Seton Hall University. Due to his leadership, his accounts were awarded Marriott’s Gold Award of Excellence in each of his last four years with the company.

Before accepting the executive director position at Renaissance, Mr. Ursic worked in corporate management at a Caterpillar dealership (CAT) headquartered in Los Angeles, California. After an acquisition in 2006 that doubled the size of the company, Mr. Ursic was hired to provide corporate leadership over the areas of capital renewal, strategic facilities planning, operations budgeting, and regulatory compliance.

Mr. Ursic refers to this position as his “masters in leading organizational change.” Regarding this time in his career he says, “Leading organizational change is exciting. When a leader makes a commitment to continuous improvement—every day becomes a dynamic learning opportunity. However, converting those opportunities into positive growth isn’t as simple as changing how people think of their job—it requires them to change how they think about themselves. A difficult task to be sure but it is exceptionally rewarding.”

He is a father of 5 children, 3 of which attend Renaissance Academy. He loves coaching their sports teams, and especially working at the school where they attend! He is grateful to work with amazing teachers and awesome students every day!