Rob Kissner '24MBA

Rob Kissner is a clinical lecturer of Entrepreneurship at the Hynes Institute. In addition to teaching several of the core entrepreneurship courses at Hynes, Rob worked with a team of faculty across the University to develop Iona’s new Artificial Intelligence minor at Iona. Rob was selected as a 2024 Presidential Fellow sponsored by the Gabelli Center for Teaching and Learning to explore how Iona needs to adapt the way we develop curriculum, create impactful learning experiences, and communicate with students in light of the rapidly changing landscape due to AI.

In his previous role at Hynes as the GaelVentures Program Manager, Rob was responsible for community engagement projects, including the SBA-funded Community Navigator Pilot Program (CNPP), the City Labs Initiative in partnership with the Business Council of Westchester (BCW) and Westchester Innovation Network (WIN), as well as the GaelVentures Student Incubator. This role was focused on bridging the gap between the classroom and the business community by fostering relationships and creating opportunities for students to apply their entrepreneurial mindset outside the classroom.

Rob is an active member of both the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) and the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), which provide a platform to present and collaborate with a global audience of entrepreneurship educators and practitioners. Rob is also a member of Sigma Nu Tau, the foremost academic honor society solely dedicated to entrepreneurship, and Beta Gamma Sigma, an international business honor society.

Rob was also the founder and president of The Digital Arts Experience, which provided award-winning after-school classes, summer camps, and workshops to kids and teens all over Westchester County in computer programming, 3D printing & design, animation, and more for ten years. He holds a BA in Media Production with a focus on Audio/Radio and an MBA from Iona University. Rob was the recipient of the John G, Hagan Award for Academic Excellence in 2024.