MFI Entrepreneurship Research Conference

The Menard Family Initiative is pleased to announce our fourth annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference, taking place from Wednesday, October 15th to Thursday, October 16th, in Cleary Great Hall. This two-day event will feature two keynote speakers, a student business idea showcase, a panel discussion with local entrepreneurs, and academic sessions led by distinguished guests from both on and off campus. More info to come! 

Our two keynote speakers will be:

Maksim Belitski 

Maksim Belitski is a Professor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Henley business School, United Kingdom and a Gaston Chair in Entrepreneurship at Loyola University New Orleans, US. His research examines entrepreneurship activity at multiple levels, the link between innovation and entrepreneurship, place-based innovative entrepreneurship, and the knowledge spillover of entrepreneurship and innovation. He is also interested in the effect of AI and other digital technologies as complementary assets to knowledge for firm productivity and exceptional performance, superstars. He is committed to interdisciplinary scholarship and actively collaborates with policymakers, businesses, entrepreneurship and support organizations in the US and the UK  to translate innovation and entrepreneurship research into practice. He is an editor of Small Business Economics: Entrepreneurship journal, Associate Editor of Journal of Business Research, Foundations and Trends® in Entrepreneurship and a French flagship journal – Revue of entrepreneuriat.

Diana Hechavarria

Dr. Diana M. Hechavarria is a Professor of Entrepreneurship at Babson College who researches nascent entrepreneurship. Her work examines the intricate dynamics people encounter during the early stages of launching new ventures, with a particular emphasis on gender, underrepresented, and social perspectives. Diana’s research has been published in leading journals, including the Journal of Business Ethics, Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, and Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. She currently serves as an Action Editor at Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice and as an Editor at the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship.

Fall 2024 Entrepreneurship Research Conference

The Menard Family Initiative is pleased to announce we successfully hosted our Third Annual Entrepreneurship Research Conference that took place from Wednesday, October 9th to Thursday, October 10th, in Cleary Great Hall! This exciting two-day event brought together leading scholars from across the country to share groundbreaking research on entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development.

Our two keynote speakers:

Dr. Frank Fossen from the College of Business, University of Nevada, Reno

Dr. Fossen is a Professor of Economics and the Charles N. Mathewson Professor in Entrepreneurship at the Department of Economics at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is also a Research Fellow of IZA. Before joining the University of Nevada, Reno in October 2016, he was an Assistant Professor of Public Economics at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.

Dr. Christopher Boudreaux from the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University

Dr. Boudreaux is an associate professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and a research fellow for the Phil Smith Center for Free Enterprise. He earned his PhD from Florida State University and taught at Texas A&M International University before FAU. His teaching and research interests are primarily related to entrepreneurship and innovation.