The W. Frank Barton School of Business is the home of real and applied learning. A
place where students apply knowledge gained from faculty and business leaders while
developing professional and life skills. The Barton School is among the top 1% of
business schools worldwide due to its double AACSB accreditation in business and accounting.
Housed in the award-winning building, Woolsey Hall, features artwork, sculptures,
gardens, and The Promise Bridge – a 300-foot-long pedestrian bridge over the water
in front of the building.
Dr. Mark Esposito has been selected as the keynote speaker for the Spring 2025 James
Schwartz Distinguished Speaker Series and J. Robert Young Executive-in-Residence,
hosted by the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. Renowned
for his expertise at the intersection of technology and economics, Dr. Esposito is
an internationally recognized leader in artificial intelligence (AI) and the Fourth
Industrial Revolution.
His dynamic keynote presentation, titled “The AI Revolution: Charting Our Course Through the Digital Frontier,” will
take place on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. in Woolsey Hall at Wichita State
University. The event is free and open to the public and will feature a networking
session and book signing opportunity for attendees.
"Mark is at the forefront of AI and technological discourse worldwide," said Dr. Larisa
Genin, Dean of the Barton School. "His insights on how the world is evolving and how
we can stay ahead of these technological shifts are essential for anyone interested
in the future of the economy and its impact on our lives."
Dr. Mark Esposito is a globally recognized voice in the realms of AI and the Fourth
Industrial Revolution. His involvement with the World Economic Forum, particularly
as a member of the Global AI Alliance and the Fostering Converging Technologies group,
places him at the cutting edge of technological and economic discussions.
Dr. Esposito serves as a Professor of Economics and Strategy at Hult International
Business School, where he leads the Futures Impact Lab, and at Harvard University,
where he holds several key academic positions. Also, he is an Adjunct Professor of
Public Policy at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business. His academic
leadership extends to the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society and the Center
for International Development at Harvard. He is also a researcher at the Institute
for Quantitative Social Science and the Davis Center for Eurasian Studies, and a leader
of AI-focused seminars at the Harvard Kennedy School on international development.
Previously, Dr. Esposito co-led the Institutes Council on Microeconomics of Competitiveness
at Harvard Business School for more than a decade. His contributions to the field
include the establishment of the Circular Economy Research Center at the Judge Business
School, University of Cambridge, where he continues as a Senior Associate.
As a public policy practitioner, Dr. Esposito advises governments across the Gulf
Cooperation Council and Eurasia and is a fellow at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School
of Government in Dubai. In 2016, he was ranked by Thinkers50 Radar as one of the 30
most prominent business thinkers in the world.
In the entrepreneurial realm, Dr. Esposito co-founded Nexus FrontierTech, a pioneering
machine learning firm, and The Circular Economy Alliance, a prominent EdTech venture.
He is also the founder of The Chart ThinkTank and The AI Native Foundation.
A prolific author, Dr. Esposito has written more than 150 publications and 13 books,
including several Amazon bestsellers. His recent publications include The Emerging
Economies under the Dome of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Cambridge University
Press, 2022), The Great Remobilization: Strategies and Designs for a Global Smarter
World (MIT University Press, 2023), and Digitizing the Emerging Economies (Cambridge
University Press, 2024). Future titles, such as Tectonic Shifts: How Technology is
Remaking Global Power Dynamics (Penguin Random House, 2025) and Becoming AI Native:
A Playbook for Businesses (Routledge, 2025), are eagerly anticipated by his global
audience.
Dr. Esposito holds a doctorate from École des Ponts Paris Tech, the world’s oldest
civil engineering school.
“Our world is evolving rapidly due to artificial intelligence, globalization, and
mega-trends,” said Dr. Esposito. “I look forward to diving deeper into these topics
during my keynote and sharing my insights with the students, faculty, staff, and community
of the Barton School of Business.”
