Dr. David Maurrasse

David Maurrasse is the President and founder of Marga Incorporated, a consulting firm providing advice and research to strengthen philanthropy and innovative cross-sector partnerships to address some of today's most pressing social concerns. Often in the role of a partnership catalyst, Marga brings expertise, as well as an informed set of eyes, to mutually beneficial multi-stakeholder partnerships and philanthropic initiatives. Marga's tools for institutional and personal development have included Your University & Your Community: An Assessment Tool & Workbook to Improve Partnerships and Your Giving, which assists philanthropists in matching personal interests with social goals and needs. Marga works nationally and globally, and clients have included various institutions of higher education, foundations, corporations, government agencies, and community-based organizations.

Dr. Maurrasse has trained many students, who have gone on to leadership positions in philanthropy and social service. He has served as a member of Columbia's faculty since 2000. He is currently an adjunct associate professor with SIPA and a strategic advisor to Columbia University's Earth Institute. Dr. Maurrasse was previously an assistant professor at Yale University (1995 - 2000), and a senior program advisor at the Rockefeller Foundation (1998 - 2000), where he managed a portfolio on community building and an initiative to further higher education/community partnerships.

A leading author, speaker, and researcher on the relationship between major institutions and their surrounding communities, Dr. Maurrasse's publications are all directed toward advancing new thinking about partnerships. In 2001, Dr. Maurrasse laid the groundwork for developing his ideas on the role of partnerships in improving society with Beyond the Campus: How Colleges and Universities Form Partnerships with Their Communities. This work focuses on the ways institutions of higher learning and their surrounding communities have worked together to pursue common goals. Among his other publications are Listening to Harlem: Gentrification, Community and Business (2006) and A Future for Everyone: Innovative Social Responsibility and Community Partnerships (2004).

Dr. Maurrasse graduated from the University of Michigan, and holds a PhD in sociology from Northwestern University. He currently serves as a Trustee of Bucknell University