Dan Gaken was named Central Michigan University’s Coordinator of Leadership Development in 2004 and assumed responsibility for the university’s student leadership development programs. Gaken became the head of the Leadership Institute in December 2009. An active member of the Mt. Pleasant Community, Dan is the President of the Mt. Pleasant Chapter of the CMU Alumni Association, a member of the Isabella County United Way’s Board of Trustees, and a member of the Games Committee for the Special Olympics Michigan state summer and winter games.

A nationally recognized leadership speaker, Gaken is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators as well as the International Leadership Association. Dan is the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principal’s Level III leadership curriculum director. Dan also facilitates sessions of the LeaderShape Institute around the nation for college students. Dan's first book, Leadership & Service: An Introduction, which he co-authored with Senator George McGovern and Dr. Donald Simmons, was published by Kendall/Hunt in 2008. Dan has authored portions of Reflections on Civic Engagement (McFadden, 2009), and the University of Central Florida’s LEAD (2010) text.