About Ben Marcovitz
Ben Marcovitz is a champion for growth, a leadership expert and the founder and CEO of the Rise Institute, which advances the understanding that human beings can grow and develop beyond their estimations, and that expecting radical growth from those who struggle can and should be the norm. Using his expertise in consulting work, background in education and boots-on-the-ground research on human behavior, Ben helps leaders accelerate their work and generate breakthrough performance in their employees. He believes the world will be transformed if people understand and recognize the possibilities for growth within everyone.
Marcovitz challenges the traditional beliefs about human behavior in his consulting work using The Growth Cycle, a method he developed to explain why people tend to radically underestimate themselves and how, when pushed by someone with higher expectations, they always get better.
The Growth Cycle is a culmination of his detailed research as a teacher and leader in schools and his work coaching business leaders. Marcovitz worked with students in a New Orleans district that had high rates of students with special needs, incarceration and adult learners. By focusing on ways to encourage and accelerate growth, he was able to drive results in the socioeconomically disadvantaged district, ensuring that both students, and fellow educators, reached their full potential. He also found through his work that all of his research could be applicable and beneficial to business leaders, CEOs and people looking to shift their mindset.
The Growth Cycle was also inspired by his experience raising his daughter, Zoe. Zoe had a stroke during surgery when she was only five days old, leading doctors to predict she would never walk, talk, or even recognize her parents. Through this experience, Marcovitz not only solidified his ideas for the Growth Cycle, but it also helped him determine how and why shifting our mindset on growth is beneficial. Zoe’s radical growth against all odds is a constant source of inspiration for Marcovitz, who views it as proof there is hope for growth in everyone.
Marcovitz’s passion for growth and education originated from the example set by his parents, who worked in the social sector. In 2007 he founded Sci Academy, the first of five high schools and two post-high-school programs under the umbrella of Collegiate Academies, a network of public high schools in Louisiana serving disadvantaged students. The purpose of Collegiate Academies is to demonstrate that all young people can achieve their goals and grow, regardless of the past. Marcovitz and his work with Collegiate Academies were featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show, where Oprah provided a million-dollar gift to advance his schools. He was also a fellow at The Aspen Institute, an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 that aims to promote the creation of a free, just, and equitable society in a nonpartisan and non ideological setting through seminars, policy programs, conferences, and leadership development initiatives.
Marcovitz received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his Masters of Education from Harvard University. He currently lives in New Orleans, LA. and New York City, NY., with his wife, Meredith and their children Zoe, Ronan and Max.