Starr Marcello
Deputy Dean for MBA and Masters Programs; Special Advisor to the Provost; Adjunct Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship
Biography
As the Deputy Dean for MBA and Masters Programs, Starr oversees the full-time, evening, weekend, and the Sokolov Executive MBA Program at Chicago Booth. In addition, she oversees Booth鈥檚 new specialized masters programs, the Master in Management and the Master in Finance. Starr also serves as a Special Advisor the Provost at the University of Chicago, leading the development and launch of new professional non-degree programs.聽聽
As Deputy Dean, she touches all aspects of the student experience, including managing the teams in 逗逼直播, Student Life, Career Services, and Leadership Development, and supports two of Booth鈥檚 most student-focused centers, the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation.聽
Prior to her appointment to the Dean鈥檚 Office, Starr served as the Executive Director of the Polsky Center. In her 15 years with the Center, Starr invested in the successful significant expansion of the entrepreneurial ecosystem at the university. She extended the Center鈥檚 work to students throughout the University of Chicago campus, from philosophy majors to chemistry majors, as well as to those studying at the school鈥檚 global campuses in Hong Kong and London. Through her work, the Polsky Center has also become a lynchpin in the City of Chicago鈥檚 dynamic startup community.聽
Starr has helped hundreds of students, faculty, staff, and community members launch the next generation of high-impact ventures, including the founding teams of Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB), Braintree Venmo (acquired by Ebay鈥檚 PayPal for $800M), Simple Mills (acquired by Flowers Foods for $795M), and Tovala. These ventures and more got their start in the university鈥檚 Edward L. Kaplan New Venture Challenge (NVC), which invests more than $1M annually in student ventures, and has been recognized as a top startup accelerator program in the U.S. by the Seed Accelerator Rankings Project. Starr created and teaches the new ventures course that accompanies the undergraduate track of the NVC.聽
Starr serves on the board of 1871, the City of Chicago鈥檚 center for technology and entrepreneurship, which was recognized in 2019 as the #1 private incubator in the world. Starr formerly served as the board chair for UChicago Impact, empowering K-12 educators to measure and improve student outcomes. She is passionate about advancing entrepreneurship as a driver of economic impact, and is a frequent speaker on this topic. In 2017, Starr testified before the U.S. Congress on the power of startup accelerators to generate economic empowerment and inclusive innovation.聽
Starr holds a BA from Wesleyan University and an MA and MBA with honors from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Get Insights from Starr Marcello in Chicago Booth Review
Is the Startup World Really Like 鈥楽uper Pumped鈥�?
New York Times reporter Mike Isaac and Chicago Booth’s Steve Kaplan and Starr Marcello discuss startup culture.
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Is There a Culture Problem among Startups?
Chicago Booth’s Steve Kaplan and Starr Marcello are joined by New York Times reporter Mike Isaac to discuss the role of corporate governance in entrepreneurship.
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