The president of South Dakota’s University of Sioux Falls since 1997, Mark Benedetto has presided over an era of growth for the university. His tenure has seen significant increases in fundraising, the school’s endowment, and student enrollment. Fifteen campus construction projects have also been completed during his time as the university’s chief executive. Previously, Mark Benedetto served as vice president of student services at East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas, and as director of athletics at California Baptist University in Riverside, California. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. Benedetto instructed students as a professor of physical education and head baseball coach at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Benedetto has delivered thousands of inspirational speeches and sermons as a pastor. A leader in the greater Sioux Falls community, he is the chair of the local Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Downtown Rotary Club. He also is an active member of the NCAA Council of Presidents, the Council of Independent College Presidents, and the Association of Independent Presidents of Colleges and Universities.