Steve Mariotti

Considered one of today’s leading experts in education for at-risk youth, Steve changed career paths in 1982 when he decided to move from the corporate sector and become a special education teacher in the New York City school system. Steve’s first assignment was in the East New York section of Brooklyn, and his last was in the Fort Apache section of the South Bronx. While teaching in this hard-hitting environment for six and one-half years, Steve gained insight into how to successfully motivate his tough students – teaching them how to run a business. His experience inspired him to create a program to bring entrepreneurial education to low-income youth. In 1987, the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) was formed. Its mission is to teach entrepreneurship and help youth from low-income communities become economically productive members of society by improving their academic, business, technological, and general life skills. It is frequently used as a model for other programmes to teach business knowledge and the resulting business formation. NFTE has reached over 150,000 young people since its founding and has programs in 28 states and 13 countries outside the United States.

A native son of Flint, Michigan, Mariotti received his BBA in business economics and his MBA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has also studied at Harvard University, Stanford University and Brooklyn College. He started his professional career as a treasury analyst for Ford Motor Company before founding his own company, Mason Import/Export Services.