Mark Orlando

Dr. Mark Orlando is a Lecturer in the Department of Exercise & Sport Studies at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), where he also serves as an academic advisor for the Sport Management certification program. He specializes in sport business, organizational creativity, and professional development, having received multiple awards for his innovative, student-centered teaching methods.

• Academic Roles: Lecturer, Academic Advisor, Conference Chair
• Primary Affiliation: UCSB

His research interests focus on bridging student academic experiences with professional careers, particularly through entrepreneurship education, career networking, and soft skills development. He has developed programs like the Sport Management Career Club and ESS Cert Fellows to connect students with organizations such as ESPN Big West Productions and Special Olympics Santa Barbara.

Dr. Orlando also teaches at Pepperdine University’s Grazadio School of Business and Management, UCLA’s Summer Discovery Program, and Mira Costa College’s Emerging Leaders Institute. His consultancy focuses on professional branding and networking strategies.

Education: B.A. History (California Lutheran University), M.A. Sport Management (University of San Francisco), Ed.D. Organizational Leadership (Pepperdine University).

Key Achievements: Increased certification completions by 33% in one year, established 6,187 social media followers for the department, and chaired six bi-annual conferences showcasing student research proposals.