About

Dr. Marco Tavanti (DMT) is a sustainable development expert and international scholar promoting  global social responsibility principles and practices in academia, NGOs and social enterprises.  

Biographics Sketch
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Dr. Marco Tavanti is a distinguished professor specializing in Sustainability Leadership at the University of San Francisco's Masagung Graduate School of Management. As the Impact Area Faculty Lead for Sustainable Management Education and Director of the Nonprofit Administration program, he plays a pivotal role in shaping future leaders in sustainability. His previous roles include leading the Harari Conscious Leadership & Social Innovation Initiative and directing the Academic Global Immersion AGIRome Program, focusing on Refugee Service Management.

Dr. Tavanti's teaching portfolio spans ethical leadership, sustainability management, global social responsibility, social entrepreneurship, and social sustainability innovation. His research expertise lies in global-social responsible management education, sustainability reporting, and social impact analysis.

Internationally recognized, Dr. Tavanti consults for the United Nations and various global organizations on indigenous human rights and sustainable community development. He is adept at delivering capacity development trainings on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), catering to diverse sectors such as NGOs, academic institutions, corporations, and enterprises.

As President of the Sustainable Capacity International Institute (SCIInstitute) and Co-founder of the World Engagement Institute, he actively contributes to transitional justice and sustainable capacity training. His academic achievements include founding and chairing the International Public Service graduate program at DePaul University (2003-2013) and initiating eight academic programs.

With over 20 years in academia, Dr. Tavanti has designed and directed over 25 global collaborative programs, linking universities with community-based organizations across Europe, Latin America, East Africa, and Southeast Asia. He also provides training in ethical leadership, cultural competence, service learning, and action research to academic administrators and faculty.

A key contributor to the Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) since 2007, Dr. Tavanti has been instrumental in integrating the UN Global Compact Principles into management education globally. He serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Management for Global Sustainability and the International Journal for Sustainable Human Security. An accomplished author, he has published over 100 studies in sustainability value leadership, international development, and management education.

About my Journey
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A cup of coffee at my uncle's Piero Tavanti's table. The same table loved by Card. Montini (Saint Pope Paul VI) when visiting my Tavanti Santi's family and enjoying fresh farm food. My father's family was working in mezzadria (a kind of indentured servants) for Card. Montini's lands in Sant'Andrea a Pigli, Arezzo, Tuscany.

The tomb of Judge Angiolo Tavanti, an ancestor buried in the Santa Croce Church in Florence, Italy. His tomb is across that of Nicolo Machiavelli and in between those of Galileo Galilei and Michelangelo Buonarroti. Truly an honor and a legacy.

Business Beginnings: My journey in the business world began with designing and testing robots for goldsmith industrial production, a role I relished within our family's jewelry enterprise. Graduating top of my class in mechanical industrial design, many expected me to continue scaling our family business. However, I found myself yearning for something beyond the affluent yet unfulfilling path laid out before me.

Community Awakening: My life took a transformative turn when I became a conscientious objector and committed to social service with Caritas. These two years were eye-opening, revealing the depth of social needs within my community that had previously escaped my notice. I gained a profound understanding of human dignity and developed compassion for marginalized individuals. My interactions with the elderly and people with disabilities at Pia Casa (AR), at-risk youth and unaccompanied minors at CasaAperta (AR), and individuals undergoing drug rehabilitation at CasaVerde (VA) profoundly impacted my heart, instilling a sense of compassion and opening my eyes to new perspectives.

Global Citizenship: This newfound value in community engagement ignited a desire to explore global outreach. I ventured to East Africa, immersing myself in poverty alleviation and international cooperation projects with various NGOs, CBOs, and FBOs. My journey took me across nine countries on five continents, including Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Jordan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. In the United States, I resided in the Lakota-Sioux Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where I learned about indigenous worldviews. I also worked in Chicago with at-risk youth from Mexican and African American communities, gaining insights into the concept of sacred humanity.

Academic Exploration: In Mozambique, an invitation to teach at a newly established Catholic University opened my eyes to the potential of changing the world through higher education. Following this, I pursued two master's degrees in Cross-cultural Theology and Divinity at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, and later a Master's and a Ph.D. in Sociology at Loyola University Chicago. My time at DePaul University was pivotal in realizing my role in international and NGO management education, bridging academia with the United Nations and other international bodies.

Sustainability Leadership: Throughout my academic and international community engagement career, I have contributed to systems thinking in sustainable development, poverty reduction, and global leadership. I have endeavored to offer practical, integrated solutions across sectors, promoting innovative, socially impactful initiatives for sustainability, inclusion, and systemic change. My teaching has been geared towards inspiring principles and practices for sustainability leadership and globally-socially responsible management education.​

Family Memories of War
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Gildo biking away after his account of the 1944 bombing

Stain-glass of Chapel of Civitella della Chiana

On April 19, 1944, in the locality of Manciano, Castiglion Fiorentino (Arezzo, Italy) the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) accidentally bombed a civilian house near a railroad bridge. In that house 9 members of the Mancini family were killed, including Francesco Mancini, Marco Tavanti’s paternal great-grandfather. The town of Manciano-Misericordia is also the birthplace of actor Roberto Benigni who won an Oscar for the 1997 movie Life is Beautiful (La Vita e' Bella), which was filmed in the surrounding towns. The cover image of the book Sustainable Human Security (photo by Liz Wilp) features ‘Gildo’ a family friend going away from the ruins of the house after his testimony on the accounts of the bombing (December 2012). He was just a little boy but he remembers the facts like it was yesterday. He was crying thinking about how people were using their bare hands to rescue people from the debris of the destroyed house. 

​Another of Marco Tavanti’s family members was killed during these horrific times by the Nazi soldiers who were occupying Italy. His maternal great-grandfather, Ottavio Fabianelli, was killed on the 29 June 1944 massacre in Civitella della Chiana (Arezzo, Italy). On this day, 244 civilians, including women and children, were massacred in a retaliation operation against Italian partisans who had previously killed two German soldiers.

Contact Information

Dr. Marco Tavanti. Ph.D.
Professor and MNA Program Director
University of San Francisco - School of Management
101 Howard St. Ste. 500
San Francisco, CA 94105 (USA)
Office Phone: +1.415.422-4288
E-mail: [email protected]

Portrait, Bio and Curriculum

Click on the image to access short bio for presentations and the official portrait
​A Curriculum Vitae is available upon request. 

Dr. Marco Tavanti, Ph.D. (Photo 2014)

Websites and Social Media
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USFCA marco-tavanti

Dr. Marco Tavanti faculty profile 
Faculty profile for the University of San Francisco, School of Management. ​www.usfca.edu/management/faculty/marco-tavanti

Academia MarcoTavanti

Dr. Tavanti on Academia Network
This site includes some my academic (author's copy) publications. See the Publication Page in this site for selected publications. ​usfca.academia.edu/MarcoTavanti

LinkedIn marcotavanti

Dr. Tavanti on LinkedIN
I use LinkedIN to share job announcements and for networking with colleagues. See my profile and connect.  http://www.linkedin.com/in/marcotavanti

Facebook mtavanti

Marco Tavanti on FaceBook
I use FB to share relevant international news and for updating colleagues, friends and family on my international and community engagement activities. ​ www.facebook.com/mtavanti

X-Twitter @mtavanti

Dr. Tavanti on Twitter (now X)
Like many I have boycotted "X" and no longer use Twitter to share relevant international news stories. Those who were following me @mtavanti  https://twitter.com/mtavanti can find me more on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/marcotavanti or on Threads www.threads.net/@tavanti.marco

YouTube mtavanti

​Dr. Marco Tavanti' Global Values Channel on YouTube
This YouTube Channel includes video interviews with international leaders on subjects including globalization, social responsibility, conflict resolution, human rights and international development among others. I also have several videos used in my teaching and international programs.Click on the logo or access it at http://www.youtube.com/user/mtavanti

Medium EduVator

Dr. Marco Tavanti on Medium and EduVator Publications
This Medium blob and EduVator dedicated publication includes reflective articles on the lessons and examples of Don Lorenzo Milani and other leadership examples promoting values for social justice and engaged education. 
https://medium.com/eduvators 
https://medium.com/@mtavanti_96541  
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Blogger #AGIRome

Dr. Tavanti Blogger Profile linked in the AGI-Rome Blog
This is a co-Blogging experience with participants of the  Academic Global Immersion Program #AGIRome for Forced Migration and Refugee Service Management. Read more at agirome.blogspot.com/    

USFCA Blog nonprofit

MNA Program Blog
Dr. Tavanti contributes and manages the Blog of the University of San Francisco's Master of Nonprofit Administration (MNA) program. He works with students, alumni, faculty and staff to promote issues and resources for nonprofit management and leadership. usfblogs.usfca.edu/nonprofit/ 

World Engagement Institute

WEInstitute.org
Dr. Tavanti co-founded the World Engagement Institute and contributes to its activities in collaborations with its subject matter experts in transitional justice, anti-human trafficking and sustainable human security. www.weinstitute.org/

Sustainable Capacity International Institute

SCIInstitute.org
 Dr. Tavanti serves as President of the Sustainable Capacity International Institute in Europe for the promotion of sustainable development capacity in leaders, organizations and institutions across public, private and civil society sectors. www.sciinstitute.org/ 

Sustainable Development SDG.services

SDG.Services - Sustainable Development Goals 
​Training site for the principles and practices for sustainable development leadership and sustainability reporting mapped for the Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda  2030 for People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnerships. https://www.sdg.services/ 

From the cradle of humanism... 
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Florence, the capital of Tuscany and the cradle of culture, the birthplace of the renaissance and the beginning of humanism.

...to the innovations of Silicon Valley.