Professor of Leadership and Sustainability
(University of San Francisco - USA)
Prof. Marco Tavanti is a professor of Leadership and Sustainability at the University of San Francisco’s Masagung Graduate School of Management. He serves as Program Director for the Master in Management - Sustainable Social Impact (MIM-SSI) and Faculty Lead for the Sustainability in Management Education (SiME) Impact Area. With over 30 years of global experience, Prof. Tavanti has led programs across Europe, East Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, focusing on sustainable development, indigenous human rights, and urban poverty reduction to promote socially inclusive and circular economies.
Grounded in Jesuit values, his teaching and research emphasize the common good and service to humanity. As a systems thinker, Prof. Tavanti employs participatory action research and capacity-building strategies to develop cross-sector sustainable business solutions, focusing on leadership development, social enterprises, and tech-driven climate resilience.
He is also the President and co-founder of two international NGOs, the Sustainable Capacity International Institute (SCII-ONLUS) and the World Engagement Institute (WEI), advancing human rights-based sustainable development worldwide. A frequent collaborator with United Nations agencies and initiatives, Prof. Tavanti is an international expert and consultant. As a scholar-practitioner, he actively promotes the UN Global Compact’s Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) and advances the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally.