Dr. Mark Wagner serves as President of Space Prize, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting STEM education and increasing the representation of women in aerospace careers. He also teaches the Space Education graduate certificate program at Kepler Space Institute, and is the Associate Editor for the Journal of Space Philosophy. In addition, he is the founder of ARES Learning, which provides a vision for schools that prepare students with the skill sets and mindsets they’ll need to be successful in the growing space economy – and in humanity’s rapidly approaching multi-planet future.
Dr. Wagner began his career as a high school English teacher, later serving as an Educational Technology Coordinator at the site, district, and county level. In 2006 he launched EdTechTeam, a professional development company dedicated to inspiring and empowering educators around the world. Each year EdTechTeam served 50,000 educators through over 100 conference-style events and hundreds of workshops in dozens of countries. EdTechTeam was recognized as the Google for Education Partner of the Year in 2018. However, Mark was a lifelong space enthusiast, having attended Space Camp twice while growing up, and having originally gone to school for astronautical engineering. Now he is thrilled to have made the transition to applying his educational technology experience in the growing field of Space Education.
Mark Wagner has a Ph.D. in Educational Technology and a masters degree in Cross-Cultural Education. He also holds graduate certificates in Space Education and Space Philosophy. He is the author of More Now: A Message from The Future for The Educators of Today (2018) and Space Education: Preparing Students for Humanity’s Multi-Planet Future (2022), which explores both the current reality on Earth and the possibilities for teaching students on the Moon, on Mars, and in deep space habitats.
Outside his work, Mark loves playing hockey, practicing martial arts, and obsessing over his ’62 beetle, which now runs on an electric motor and Tesla batteries. He is a certified health coach and biohacking enthusiast, who also enjoys songwriting, spending time in nature, and exploring the world with his friends and family.
