Plenary Panel #1: 2022

HBCUs as Entrepreneurial Change Agents

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have been part of the fabric of higher education for over 150 years and have provided critical resources to support their communities for equally as long.   They continue to support and uplift students from largely marginalized populations, often first-generation college students and those from economically distressed areas. HBCUs are critical drivers of economic empowerment and development. While frequently under-resourced and marginalized themselves, HBCUs have been uniquely positioned to support entrepreneurship and innovation in their communities. This panel will share an overview of HBCUs and economic impacts, how entrepreneurship is infused into curriculum and co-curricular activities, and how relationships and established partnerships engage the broader entrepreneurship ecosystem in their communities. The panel will also address the need to build cross transdisciplinary conversations and programs, networks, and connections among HBCUs, overcoming barriers such as resistance, resources, and silos. Finally, the panel will share lessons learned and asks participants to suggest innovative ways to engage, collaborate, increase global awareness, and expand entrepreneurial opportunities.  

Panelists’ Names and Titles 

• Johnetta Boseman Hardy, Executive Director, Entrepreneurship Innovation Center, Bowie State University (Moderator)
• Tiffany Bussey, Executive Director, Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, Morehouse College
• Caroline Glackin, Director of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, & Economic Empowerment,  Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, Broadwell College of Business & Economics, Fayetteville State University
• Ron Williams, Founding Director,  Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship, Coppin State University

Panelists Bios

Johnetta Boseman Hardy

Johnetta has more than 25 years of championing the power of entrepreneurship in transforming communities and over two decades of experience leading entrepreneurship centers. At Bowie State University, Johnetta shares her energy and passion for entrepreneurship as the Entrepreneurship Innovation Center executive director. She creates an entrepreneurial mindset and culture across the university, empowering students to launch businesses and is the founder of the Annual HBCU Entrepreneurship Conference.   She has created four companies and counseled over 3000 businesses. She co-authored “The Black Experience and Navigating Higher Education through a Virtual World” and published in “Annals of Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy” – Vol. 5. She serves on the Global Consortium for Entrepreneurship Centers’ Executive Advisory Board and Co-Founded the United States Association for Small Business Centers & Institutes’ Social Innovation Group.   Johnetta received an Entrepreneurship Essentials Certificate from Harvard University School of Business, an Entrepreneurial Mindset Facilitator Certification from the Entrepreneurship Learning Initiative, and a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts from Howard University, Washington DC.

Dr. Ronald (Ron) Coleman Williams

Ron has 35 years of experience in higher education, 25 of which have been at the Coppin State University (CSU) College of Business. He serves as Associate Professor of Management and Founding Director of the Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship.  As a community-centric academic influencer, Dr. Williams coined the phrase “ingepreneurship” (inge… as in ingenuity) to describe a process for improving the socio-economic well-being of underrepresented communities. The concept aligns with his work as an advisor to the Manufacturing Workforce Development Industry & Inclusion Study -a joint research project by The Century Foundation and Urban Manufacturing Alliance.

Additional recent academic accomplishments include developing a Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, developing a trust-climate assessment instrument for collaborative economic development across cultural and geographic divides, serving as the faculty advisor of award-winning student teams in local and national innovation competitions. Ron received his Ph.D. from George Washington University School of Business, Master’s from Johns Hopkins University, and Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tampa.  He also serves on the AAAS HBCU Making & Innovation Advisory Board, the Open Works Board of Directors, and as chair of the Urban Manufacturing Alliance Board of Directors.

Caroline Glackin, Ph.D.

 Caroline has a passion for education, entrepreneurship, and economic empowerment and thrives on supporting youth and adult journeys to success. She currently serves as the

Director of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, & Economic Empowerment, and  Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Broadwell College of Business & Economics, Fayetteville State University (FSU) and the Vice-Chair of the Center for Economic Empowerment and Development (CEED). She is an Enactus (social entrepreneurship) Sam Walton Fellow and holds multiple leadership roles in the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. 

Caroline had a career in the private sector, public sector, and nonprofit management with her own businesses, including Family Times magazine. Caroline was the Director of the Center for Enterprise Development, Assistant Vice President of Institutional Advancement, and faculty at Delaware State University and faculty at Shepherd University before joining FSU.

She earned her Ph.D. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy from the University of Delaware, an MBA in Entrepreneurial Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She earned an AB magna cum laude in Economics from Bryn Mawr College. Her primary research interests are Entrepreneurial Financing, Entrepreneurial Education and Pedagogy and Women and Minority Entrepreneurship. She co-authors market-leading Entrepreneurship: Starting and Operating a Small Business now in its fifth edition. Her research has earned several awards for Best Papers and Best Cases. More importantly, her research focuses on advancing entrepreneurship education and telling the stories of entrepreneurs facing and overcoming challenges. 

Dr. Tiffany Rogers Bussey

Tiffany has over twenty-five years of experience in various aspects of business management for corporate, small business, educational and nonprofit organizations. She is the founding Director of the Morehouse Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (MCEC), a global model for providing small business support in organizational management infrastructure development and process improvement. As Director, Tiffany manages strategic teams of faculty, staff and consultants to achieve the goals of the Center, which is to assist in the development of minority entrepreneurship through scholarly research, training and consulting services. She is also an adjunct professor of entrepreneurship at Morehouse College.

Tiffany earned her Ph.D. in Business Administration and Masters of Science degree in Strategic Management from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland, U.K, an MBA from George Washington University and a Baccalaureate Degree in Economics from The College of Saint Elizabeth. She is a Project Management Professional, Certified Situational Leadership Facilitator, Certified Quality Auditor, Certified Training Presenter, and a Certified Teacher of Entrepreneurship. Her research interest intersects the areas of leadership behavior and strategic change in small firms.