Biography

Dr. Ivan Misner is the Founder & Chairman of BNI (www.bni.com),
the world’s largest business networking organization. BNI was
founded in 1985. The organization now has over 6,000 chapters
throughout every populated continent of the world. Last year alone,
BNI generated 6.5 million referrals resulting in $2.8 billion dollars worth of business
for its members.
Dr. Misner’s Ph.D. is from the University of Southern California. He is a New York
Times Bestselling author who has written over 12 books, including his latest one,
called Networking Like a Pro, which can be viewed at: www.IvanMisner.com. He is
a monthly columnist for Entrepreneur.com and is the Senior Partner for the Referral
Institute – an international referral training company (www.referralinstitute.com), with
trainers around the world. In addition, he has taught business management and social
capital courses at several universities throughout the United States.
Called the “Father of Modern Networking” by CNN and the “Networking Guru” by Entrepreneur
magazine, Dr. Misner is considered to be one of the world’s leading experts
on business networking, and has been a keynote speaker for major corporations and
associations throughout the world. He has been featured in The L.A. Times, The Wall
Street Journal, and The New York Times, as well as numerous TV and radio shows,
including CNN, CNBC, and the BBC in London.
Dr. Misner is on the Board of Trustees for the University of LaVerne, CA. He is also the
Founder of the BNI‑Misner Charitable Foundation and was recently named “Humanitarian
of the Year” by a Southern California newspaper.
He is married and lives with his wife Elisabeth and their three children in Claremont, CA.
In his spare time (!!!), he is also an amateur magician and has a black belt in karate.