Dr. Mark Bergel co-founded The Shared Humanity Project after 35 years of leading efforts in both the university and nonprofit sectors. He has created grassroots programs and services that have helped more than 300,000 children and adults living in poverty.

In 2018, Mark was inducted into both the Montgomery County Human Rights Hall of Fame and the Montgomery County Business Hall of Fame, the only person to hold both honors.

Mark has also been selected as Washingtonian of the Year and as one of People Magazine’s “All-Stars Among Us.” He has also received the Cyrus A. Ansary Medal, the Dr. Augustus White III Award, the Roscoe R. Nix Leadership Award, and many other local and national recognitions.

Prior to founding SHP, Mark founded and led a DC-area grassroots nonprofit called A Wider Circle, which he started in his living room and built into a 45,000-square foot center with multiple off-site programs. The organization served more than 300,000 children and adults before he handed it off to seek a more impactful solution to poverty in the country and beyond.

Mark is currently developing large-scale, multi-sector solutions to domestic poverty while also consulting organizations in the U.S. and abroad on how to most effectively solve poverty both in small communities and large regions. He speaks to audiences of all sizes on poverty and myriad other social issues.

Mark earned a B.A. from Northwestern University and received both Masters and Doctoral degrees from American University, where he also taught for 15 years.