Dennis Hanno

Senior Fellow in Social Innovation

Dennis M. Hanno is a higher education leader, educator, and social entrepreneur.

Dennis is the founder and CEO of IDEA4Africa, which educates, mentors, and incubates young entrepreneurs strengthening society. He also serves on the boards of the Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative and the Global Business School Network, and is a commissioner of the New England Commission of Higher Education. He is the co-chair of the board of directors of Loop Academies in Liberia and serves on the Education Committee of Kigutu International Academy in Burundi.

During his term as president at Wheaton College in Norton, MA, Dennis sharpened Wheaton’s focus on creating positive change through the liberal arts. He led the college to establish a comprehensive set of programs that help students build the skills for social innovation and put their ideas into action, such as the Social Entrepreneurship Launch Program. Dennis also led the development of a state-of-the-art innovation facility and created an endowed faculty position in social entrepreneurship. Under his leadership, Wheaton increased opportunities for students to engage in experiential learning both inside and outside of the classroom. In recognition of these efforts and his own personal commitment to providing students with meaningful learning opportunities, he was awarded the 2021 William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education by the National Society for Experiential Education.

Dennis also has served as dean, provost, and senior vice president at Babson College and, before that, as the associate dean of undergraduate matters at the Isenberg School of Management of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.