University of Nevada, Reno Extension recently hired Chris Markl to lead its community and economic development initiatives. Markl will oversee programs that support small businesses through education and mentorship and provide data to guide social and economic planning across Nevada.    

For more than two decades, Markl has worked in social entrepreneurship and economic development. His experience includes helping small businesses launch and grow, developing entrepreneurship programs at historically Black universities, expanding telecommunication access in underserved areas, and creating investment models for Kenyan athletes.

“Chris is an exciting addition to the Extension team,” Eric Killian, Extension’s southern area director, said. “His experience in economic analysis and business development will help strengthen Extension’s ability to serve communities across Nevada.”

Markl will continue the work of now-retired economist Buddy Borden, who until recently led Extension’s Small Business Education Program and the Nevada Economic Assessment Project. He aims to increase external partnerships and collaboration with other University programs to strengthen the capacity of Extension’s economic analyses and broaden access to small business education across Nevada.

“In Nevada, 98% of all businesses are small businesses, representing more than 334,000 enterprises statewide,” Markl said. “This underscores the need for accessible business education across Nevada, particularly in rural communities.”

In addition to overseeing Extension’s existing small business curriculum offered in English and Spanish, Markl plans to focus more closely on underserved regions to help diversify rural economies and introduce specialized programming to support a broader range of industries in establishing operations in Nevada. He also plans to build on the success of the Nevada Economic Assessment Project, reinforcing Extension’s role as a statewide resource for community economic planning.

Markl holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in political science from the University of Colorado Boulder, with a focus on international development, foreign investment and international trade. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of North Florida.