The Marcon Institute was established in 2021 through a generous gift from local Lehigh Valley businessman Charlie Marcon. In June 2022, Dr. Holona Ochs was appointed as the inaugural Director of the Marcon Institute. With the support of Jessica Jackson, MPA, Program Manager, Ochs has set the vision for the Institute, established a robust Advisory Board consisting of members from the Lehigh University community and beyond, and led the first cohort of Marcon Mountain Hawk Fellows through their summer research projects. The Institute recently held its first Radical Love Conference in March 2023.