Mark Murphy

Mark Murphy is the founder of GripTape, an organization that exists at the edge of what people perceive possible — a nonprofit designed by young people and aimed squarely at helping youth to be the true drivers of their learning. From humble beginnings with nine teens in 2016, GripTape has grown its reach to serve young people across the entire country. And through radical, youth-created learning models most adults deemed naive, these efforts have resulted in proven and powerful outcomes that have attracted dozens of partners and researchers. Thousands of youth power the GripTape engine, and our work has only just begun.

Before launching GripTape, Mark served as Delaware's secretary of education. During his tenure, academic achievement improved significantly, college access and success rates soared, high school dropout rates reached the lowest level in history, and the graduation rate grew at a record pace to a record high. Mark has also spent a considerable portion of his career directly developing and supporting hundreds of school leaders across the country as executive director of multiple organizations. His national contributions are significant with service on multiple boards, including the Council of Chief State School Officers and Chiefs for Change. He began his career as a teacher and went on to lead the dramatic turnaround of a low-performing school. Mark’s true passion and purpose is putting in place the conditions that enable our young people to uncover their often hidden potential to achieve and lead.