Dr. Marcus A. Coleman is an educator and academic leader whose work focuses on food systems, leadership, and community engagement. For more than 15 years, he has served in teaching, administrative, and outreach roles across higher education, working at the intersection of academic innovation, social impact, and community partnership.
Coleman serves as Director of the Strategy, Leadership, and Analytics Minor (SLAM) Program and Professor of Practice at Tulane University, where he holds a joint appointment in the Department of Economics. He also holds the Riggio Professorship in Social Entrepreneurship in the Phyllis M. Taylor Center for Social Innovation and Design Thinking. In addition, he serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics, and Agriscience Education at North Carolina A&T State University.
His teaching and scholarship center food systems as a critical lens for understanding leadership, strategy, and social change. Coleman is particularly interested in preparing students for a rapidly changing world by integrating ethical leadership, data-informed decision-making, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration into the classroom.
Raised in Louisiana’s rural Mississippi River Delta region, Coleman developed an early understanding of the structural inequities that shape rural food systems. Those experiences continue to influence his commitment to strengthening communities through leadership development, collaborative partnerships, and innovative approaches to social and economic challenges. Whether working with students, nonprofit organizations, government agencies, or industry partners, he is driven by the belief that sustainable solutions emerge when diverse perspectives come together around shared purpose.
Across his teaching, scholarship, and public engagement, Coleman is committed to developing leaders who create meaningful change within food systems and beyond. His work seeks to bridge the gap between higher education and practice by preparing individuals and organizations to think strategically, lead ethically, and build stronger, more resilient communities.
Coleman earned a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from Southern University and A&M College, a Master of Science in Agriculture, Food, & Resource Economics from Michigan State University, and a Ph.D. in Agriculture and Extension Education from Louisiana State University.