Michael Golden
Vice Dean of Innovative Programs and Partnerships at University of Pennsylvania / Catalyst at Penn GSE
Dr. L. Michael Golden, EdD, MBA is a proven education leader committed to education reform. He brings expertise in the convergence of business, technology and education as an implementer with experience in established, emergent and public sector environments.
Dr. Golden currently serves as Vice Dean of Innovative Programs and Partnerships and Senior Fellow at Catalyst @ Penn GSE, directing a bold new endeavor at the University of Pennsylvania to design innovative practices and to create and scale actionable solutions to dismantle institutional inequities in education. Catalyst moves knowledge to action and research to practice in novel and meaningful ways by leveraging expertise and empowering the various stakeholders across the education ecosystem. Catalyst combines ideas from education, technology, and business to address the pressing problems in education and spreads effective practices, crowd-sources ideas, operationalizes research, generates thought leadership, and brings together communities to shape the future of education. In this position, he has been awarded $10MM in grants from foundations including Wallace and McGraw Family.
Previously, Dr. Golden co-founded and served as CEO of Educurious, a national non-profit that provides problem-based courses and professional learning services to empower and motivate marginalized young people through transformative learning experiences to become purposeful, self-confident and successful in their learning. By combining project-based learning, technology, connections with real-world experts, and workplace explorations, the company creates meaningful learning that cultivates contemporary skills. In this position, he was awarded $11MM in grants from foundations including Bill and Melinda Gates, George Lucas, Charles and Lynn Schusterman, Schultz Family, Aspen among others.
Dr. Golden was Corporate Vice President, Education at Microsoft, where he led the development and execution of Microsoft’s efforts in education across the globe. Prior, Dr. Golden was Senior Vice President at Pearson where he led the planning and administrative functions for Pearson’s US education division, including research, strategy, marketing, and business development.
Prior to that, Dr. Golden was Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Education, where he set strategy, policy, programs, and legislation for over two million students and developed systems and directed funding to make schools more effective and efficient. Dr. Golden's accomplishments include formulating and implementing statewide education technology policies and initiatives. He envisioned and rolled out groundbreaking $250 million reform to embed student-centered, inquiry-based, data-driven pedagogy in Pennsylvania's 622 high schools. In this position, he was awarded $12MM in federal government and foundation grants.
Dr. Golden holds a doctorate in Education Leadership from University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, MBA from Harvard Business School, and BA from Williams College.
Michael Golden
Vice Dean of Innovative Programs and Partnerships at University of Pennsylvania / Catalyst at Penn GSE
Dr. L. Michael Golden, EdD, MBA is a proven education leader committed to education reform. He brings expertise in the convergence of business, technology and education as an implementer with experience in established, emergent and public sector environments.
Dr. Golden currently serves as Vice Dean of Innovative Programs and Partnerships and Senior Fellow at Catalyst @ Penn GSE, directing a bold new endeavor at the University of Pennsylvania to design innovative practices and to create and scale actionable solutions to dismantle institutional inequities in education. Catalyst moves knowledge to action and research to practice in novel and meaningful ways by leveraging expertise and empowering the various stakeholders across the education ecosystem. Catalyst combines ideas from education, technology, and business to address the pressing problems in education and spreads effective practices, crowd-sources ideas, operationalizes research, generates thought leadership, and brings together communities to shape the future of education. In this position, he has been awarded $10MM in grants from foundations including Wallace and McGraw Family.
Previously, Dr. Golden co-founded and served as CEO of Educurious, a national non-profit that provides problem-based courses and professional learning services to empower and motivate marginalized young people through transformative learning experiences to become purposeful, self-confident and successful in their learning. By combining project-based learning, technology, connections with real-world experts, and workplace explorations, the company creates meaningful learning that cultivates contemporary skills. In this position, he was awarded $11MM in grants from foundations including Bill and Melinda Gates, George Lucas, Charles and Lynn Schusterman, Schultz Family, Aspen among others.
Dr. Golden was Corporate Vice President, Education at Microsoft, where he led the development and execution of Microsoft’s efforts in education across the globe. Prior, Dr. Golden was Senior Vice President at Pearson where he led the planning and administrative functions for Pearson’s US education division, including research, strategy, marketing, and business development.
Prior to that, Dr. Golden was Deputy Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Education, where he set strategy, policy, programs, and legislation for over two million students and developed systems and directed funding to make schools more effective and efficient. Dr. Golden's accomplishments include formulating and implementing statewide education technology policies and initiatives. He envisioned and rolled out groundbreaking $250 million reform to embed student-centered, inquiry-based, data-driven pedagogy in Pennsylvania's 622 high schools. In this position, he was awarded $12MM in federal government and foundation grants.
Dr. Golden holds a doctorate in Education Leadership from University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, MBA from Harvard Business School, and BA from Williams College.