Description of Research Expertise

Areas of Expertise

Non-traditional forms of education
International education
Educational entrepreneurship
Work-based and corporate learning

Professional Biography

In addition to directing admissions and executive education at GSE, Dr. Lynch is also an academic director at the Wharton School’s Aresty Institute for Executive Education and is a senior consultant at the Fels Institute of Government. At Penn, he has launched several new endeavors, including the first education business plan competition, the first joint doctoral program in work-based learning (with the Wharton School) and Penn’s executive master’s degree program for Teach for America corps members in Philadelphia. He teaches in the schools of education, Wharton, and Social Policy and Practice and has taught courses in the economics of education, higher education, adult and work-based learning, and social entrepreneurship, and he has grown revenue for executive education over 400 percent in five years, introducing almost one new degree program a year, all of which have been successful.

Prior to joining Penn, he worked at New York University, the College Board, and Arizona State University (A.S.U.). An economist by training, he has also done doctoral work in education evaluation at A.S.U. and political theory at the New School and earned an M.B.A.

While at A.S.U., he helped start one of the country’s first charter schools, the Genesis Academy, which targeted mainly gang kids. While at N.Y.U., he developed and implemented training to get WorldCom out of sanctions with the Securities and Exchange Commission and, after 9/11, worked with the Fire Department of New York. His educational programs have won national awards including a President’s award for exporting — the first time a college was recognized for commercial innovation in exporting by the U.S. Department of Commerce. His programs have won APX and HR Executive Top 10 awards. He is particularly known for innovative partnerships between higher education and corporate learning programs and has had over 120,000 "corporate students."

Dr. Lynch has sat on gubernatorial boards, testified before Congress and the United Nations on e-learning, and read for both the Sloan Foundation and the U.S. Department of Education. He sits on several editorial boards and professional association boards. He is currently a member of the board of visitors for the Central Intelligence Agency, and the chair of the U.S. delegation to ISO 232 – Standards in non-formal education, which is representing U.S. interests to the World Trade Organization/General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs in setting global standards around non-formal/non-traditional learning.

Research Interests and Current Projects
Dr. Lynch’s research interests include K-12 reform, work-based and corporate learning, international education, online learning, and adult/continuing education.

To read more about Dr. Lynch and his work, visit his faculty website at http://scholar.gse.upenn.edu/dougl/home.