Mark Gleason

Mark joined The Drexel Fund in 2021 and became managing partner in 2024. Drexel is a venture philanthropy fund that makes startup and expansion grants to high-impact private schools that are focused on creating educational opportunities for underserved communities. In addition to his managerial role, Mark works closely with the organization's grantee schools across the state of Florida. Before Drexel, Mark spent 10 years at the helm of the nonprofit Philadelphia School Partnership (PSP), which raised more than $120 million to invest in the creation, expansion and transformation of 70 public and private schools. During that period, the number of students attending high-achieving schools in Philadelphia nearly doubled. Prior to PSP, Mark worked in a partnership development role for Christ the King Prep School, a Cristo Rey Network-affiliated Catholic high school in New Jersey, and served as a member and four-year president of the South Orange-Maplewood (NJ) Board of Education. Earlier, Mark worked as a reporter, editor and publisher.