The World Has Changed
Educators, Employers, and Parents Need an Inside Track on Gen Z.
The landscape of education, workforce, and economic development is shifting. It takes more to succeed today than it did yesterday. At the same time, the 65+ million individuals in Generation Z are different from every generation before. They’re our children, students, employees, and coworkers—and we’ve got to understand how they think and what motivates their highest performance.
Forget the negative stereotypes. Gen Z is a talented and tenacious generation with a lot more to contribute at home, at school, and in the workforce. Whether you’re a parent, educator, employer, or community leader, you can start unleashing their true potential.
And Mark will show you how. In fact, it’s what he’s all about.
MARK C. PERNA: The Man Behind it All
GENERATIONAL EXPERT
- 25+ years studying each generation and what makes them tick
- 200+ radio, television, and podcast interviews on this topic
- 35+ years as a father to two successful young people
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
- 70+ dynamic, inspiring, and actionable keynotes annually across North America
- Perna Syndicate podcast listeners in 60+ countries
- Has spoken at many prestigious organizations, including Harvard University
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
- Wrote bestseller Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations
- Won 8 national awards, including the Nautilus Book Award
- Has over 3.3 million readers at Forbes.com, where Mark contributes weekly articles
FOUNDER AND CEO
- Started the Education with Purpose & Employment with Passion (EWP) movement
- Founded and leads strategic consulting firm TFS Results
- Created the Career Tree®
Mark C. Perna: The Man Behind it All
- 25+ years studying each generation and what makes them tick
- 250+ radio, television, and podcast interviews on this topic
- 35+ years as a father to two successful young people
- 80+ dynamic, inspiring, and actionable keynotes annually across North America
- Perna Syndicate podcast listeners in 70+ countries
- Has spoken at many prestigious organizations, including Harvard University
- Wrote bestseller Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations
- Won 8 national awards, including the Nautilus Book Award
- Has over 300 articles and 4.4 million readers at Forbes.com, where Mark has contributed weekly articles since 2019
- Started the Education with Purpose & Employment with Passion (EWP) movement
- Founded and leads strategic consulting firm TFS Results
- Created The Career Tree® and Competitive Advantage Track™
Mark’s message absolutely hit the sweet spot for our diverse audience of business, industry, education and community leaders. It was RELEVANT, EXCITING, AND EMPOWERING for everyone in attendance, and we’ve been flooded with positive feedback.
Throughout the entire process, from planning through execution, Mark and his team were remarkably proactive and easy to work with. In short, Mark’s dynamic vision couldn’t have come at a better time and we’re THRILLED WITH THE IMPACT he has made here.
Executive Director of Central Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance
By the Numbers
readers of Mark's Forbes.com articles
Viewers of Mark's Forbes Leadership video series
estimated annual audience members
episodes of The Perna Syndicate podcast
articles contributed to national publications
radio, TV, and podcast interviews
92% of HS students said Mark helped them build their dream
of making a difference in education and workforce development
Mark’s Award-Winning Bestseller: Answering Why
Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance in Younger Generations.
Mark didn’t set out to write a bestselling book. He just wanted to help more people see the incredible potential of the younger generations. Eight national awards and countless reader accolades later, Mark’s first book, Answering Why: Unleashing Passion, Purpose, and Performance, is making a positive difference in education, workforce, and economic development.
Answering Why might surprise you. Mark flips the script and argues that today’s young people are the most gifted, resourceful, and passionate generation we’ve ever seen. This fresh perspective can change everything about how you interact with Gen Z—at home, in the classroom, and on the job.
Mark Perna blew our expectations out of the water with his ENERGETIC STYLE and TIMELY MESSAGE. Mark’s passionate keynote was perfect to follow the Governor of PA’s speech at the conference. He connected instantly with the audience as he delivered valuable strategies that they can implement in both their professional and personal lives. We recommend Mark as a DYNAMIC, PERSONABLE, AND GENUINE speaker who keeps his audience riveted with truly actionable content.
Executive Director at Pennsylvania Workforce Development Association (PWDA)
The Education with Purpose & Employment with Passion Movement
Young People Need a New Competitive Advantage.
Founded by Mark, the national Education with Purpose & Employment with Passion (EWP) movement is making a difference for communities across North America.
EWP has three main goals:
- Inspiring young people to build a dynamic competitive advantage
- Uniting community stakeholders around a shared vision for purpose-driven education
- Connecting pipelines between education and employment at all levels of learning and experience
Everyone with a stake in the future should hear this message: parents, educators, business & industry leaders, economic developers, community leaders, elected officials, and anyone else who needs actionable strategies to work with the younger generations.
It’s time to shift the paradigm in your community. Connect with Mark today to bring Education with Purpose & Employment with Passion to your community!
The Career Tree®
Maximize Enrollment, Retention, and Performance with this Powerful Classroom Tool and Narrative.
Today, the world has changed and it’s more imperative than ever to connect, engage, and answer why for young people. The Career Tree is an innovative perspective on doing just that—empowering you to deliver a dynamic competitive advantage to every young person you serve.
By driving ongoing dialogue, the Career Tree shows students and trainees what’s possible and how to get there. Powerful career exploration, goal-setting, and self-discovery motivate them to set career and lifestyle goals, see the relevance of their education, and perform at a higher level.
For 2 fantastic hours, Mark Perna RIVETED OUR AUDIENCE of business owners, corporations, community leaders, economic development, and educators. His message of truly connecting our pipelines was SUBSTANTIVE, FUNNY, and FULL OF ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES that people are still talking about. The keynote ended in an enthusiastic standing ovation, but the impact Mark made isn’t over. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE!
President & CEO at Mesa Chamber of Commerce and President of Mesa Industry & Defense Council
5 Reasons Why Millennials & Gen Z Aren’t the Same
Get Your Complimentary Gift on What Makes Them Unique.
While Millennials and Gen Z share many qualities, there are also key differences between these two talented generations. So how does all of this play out at home, school, and work? Get Mark’s free report on five defining traits that make Millennials and Gen Z unique – and how you can unleash their best performance.
Connect to the Movement
WATCH. READ. LISTEN.
Mark’s inspiring message is available in all formats to inspire action.
I cannot thank Mark enough for getting my staff excited about the work they are doing! Every single person in attendance reached out to me after our PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT session to tell me how excited they were and how much they got out of it. As a department, we have officially shifted our thinking. Mark has made an IMMEDIATE IMPACT here and we can’t wait to implement everything we learned. This is a message we BELIEVE IN!
Director at Durfee High School
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