Babson Academy Team
You’ll find the leadership and faculty of Babson Academy are both highly accomplished and very approachable. We are committed to advancing entrepreneurship education in the U.S. and around the world. This page introduces you to both staff and teaching faculty. Don’t hesitate to contact us.
Leadership
Amir Reza, PhD
Dean
Amir Reza is the dean of the Babson Academy for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurial Learning (Babson Academy), a dedicated unit within Babson College that inspires change in the way universities, specifically their faculty and students, teach and learn entrepreneurship. In this role, he is responsible for leading and for the collaborative advancement of Babson Academy’s strategy. He also is dean of Global Education, responsible for advancing overall internationalization efforts for Babson College through curricular and cocurricular programs.
Reza formerly was vice provost for International & Multicultural Education at Babson College. His leadership efforts in internationalization of Babson College were recognized through the prestigious Senator Paul Simon Comprehensive Internationalization Award, and Forbes ranking Babson as the best school for international students in the U.S. He has held numerous positions in academic affairs, student affairs, and international education during the past 21 years at Babson.
Reza has served on regional leadership boards for NAFSA: Association of International Educators, and has presented at numerous national and international conferences on international education. He chaired the Editorial Committee of the Association of International Education Administrators. He also has served on the international advisory board of Tongji University, Shanghai, China, and CIEE Entrepreneurship Lab in Berlin, Germany. In addition, he has provided consulting on pedagogy and curriculum development in international higher education at a number of institutions.
Reza’s areas of expertise include international education, global competency, higher education administration, and global entrepreneurship education. His research focus is on learning outcomes of higher education internationalization, intercultural development, and educating entrepreneurial leaders with a global mindset.
Heidi Neck, PhD
Academic Director
Heidi Neck is a Babson College professor and the Jeffry A. Timmons Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies. She is the academic director of the Babson Academy for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurial Learning, a dedicated unit within Babson that inspires change in the way universities, specifically their faculty and students, teach and learn entrepreneurship. The Babson Academy builds on Neck’s work starting the Babson Collaborative, a global institutional membership organization for colleges and universities seeking to increase their capability and capacity in entrepreneurship education, and her leadership of Babson’s Symposia for Entrepreneurship Educators (SEE), programs designed to further develop faculty from around the world in the of art and craft of teaching entrepreneurship and building entrepreneurship programs. Through her leadership, she has directly trained more than 2,200 educators around the world.
She has taught entrepreneurship at the undergraduate, MBA, and executive levels. Neck is the immediate past president of the United States Association of Small Business & Entrepreneurship (USASBE), an academic organization dedicated to the advancement of entrepreneurship education. She is the faculty director of the Babson Collaborative, a global institutional membership organization for colleges and universities seeking to increase their capability and capacity in entrepreneurship education. Additionally, Neck is faculty director of Babson’s Symposia for Entrepreneurship Educators (SEE).
Her research interests include entrepreneurship education, the entrepreneurial mindset, and entrepreneurship inside organizations. An award-winning educator and author, her textbook Entrepreneurship: The Practice and Mindset (2017) was awarded the Breakthrough Book of 2017 by Sage Publishing and the 2018 Most Promising New Textbook Award by the Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAA). Neck is the lead author of Teaching Entrepreneurship: A Practice-Based Approach (Elgar Publishing), a book written to help educators teach entrepreneurship in more experiential and engaging ways. Her latest book, The IDEATE Method, guides students through an ideation technique empirically proven to help novice entrepreneurs generate high-potential new venture ideas. Additionally, she has published more than 45 book chapters, research monographs, and refereed articles.
Neck has been recognized for teaching excellence at Babson for undergraduate, graduate, and executive education. She also has been recognized by international organizations, the Academy of Management and USASBE, for excellence in pedagogy and course design. For pushing the frontiers of entrepreneurship education in higher education, The Schulze Foundation and the Entrepreneur and Innovation Exchange (EIX) named her “Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year” for 2016.
Neck speaks and teaches internationally on cultivating the entrepreneurial mindset and espousing the positive force of entrepreneurship as a societal change agent. She consults and trains organizations of all sizes on building entrepreneurial capacity. She is the co-founder of VentureBlocks, an entrepreneurship education technology company and achieved a successful exit with FlowDog, a canine aquatic fitness and rehabilitation center located just outside of Boston. She also serves on the board of the 100 percent family-owned, seventh-generation, land-management company in Louisiana, A. Wilbert’s & Sons. Neck earned her PhD in strategic management and entrepreneurship from the University of Colorado Boulder, her BS in marketing from Louisiana State University, and her MBA from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Carrie Boyd
Associate Dean
As associate dean of the Babson Academy, Carrie Boyd ’98, MBA’06 plays a lead role in establishing and advancing long- and short-term strategies for the Babson Academy’s growth. In addition to overseeing the day-to-day operations, she focuses on new product development and innovation across the portfolio of products and audiences.
She has focused her career on working with academic institutions in their quest to elevate the art and science of teaching entrepreneurship. She joined the Babson College Executive Education team in 2003 and was tapped to help launch the Babson Academy in early 2019. She earned her bachelor and MBA degrees from Babson College. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Nan Covert
Senior Director, University Relations and Business Development
As Senior Director of University Relations and Business Development, Nan Covert brings Babson’s methodology of Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® to the world as she collaborates with stakeholders at universities and organizations who are advancing entrepreneurship education programs. Her particular areas of focus are South, Central, and North America, as well as Europe.
After joining Babson in 2010, she was part of Babson Executive Education’s program delivery team for six years before shifting to a business development focus and then helping to launch the Babson Academy in early 2019. She handled all aspects of the delivery of short non-degree programs and oversaw the portfolio of student programs, including Babson Build: The Entrepreneurship Program for University Students, a large multiprogram summer experience for students from academic institutions around the world. Her background is in sales, marketing, and project management, and she earned her BA from Middlebury College.
Beth Goldstein
Senior Director of Academic Strategy, Youth Impact Lab (Babson) Adjunct Lecturer, Entrepreneurship
Areas of Expertise: Role entrepreneurship educators play in helping their students develop confidence, a growth mindset, and entrepreneurial grit, entrepreneurship, marketing
Jamie Kendrioski
Senior Director, Babson Collaborative and Youth Impact Lab
As Senior Director, Jamie is responsible for the overall strategy, development, implementation and oversight of the Babson Collaborative and the Youth Impact Lab. He leads the teams to focus on engagement with universities, secondary schools, educators, and learners to grow global prospects aimed at growth and impact.
Before joining the Babson Academy in 2019, Jamie was Babson’s director of international student and scholar services and director of multicultural education.
Prior to joining Babson in 2010, he worked in international student services at Brown University and Marietta College. He earned his MA in education and BA in public relations/advertising from Marietta College in Ohio.
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Jean Ann Schulte
Director, University Relations and Business Development
As a director of University Relations and Business Development, Jean Ann Schulte works with university faculty and administrators, primarily in Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and Africa, who desire to grow entrepreneurship education ecosystems.
Her prior experience includes 20 years in executive roles with two successful startups and five years at MIT Sloan School of Management. She earned her master’s degree from Columbia University and her bachelor’s degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
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Jocelyn Lyons
Program Manager
As Program Manager, Jocelyn Lyons MBA’21 is responsible for the oversight of the Babson Build program, as well as for all aspects of the delivery of Babson Academy programs, catering to university educators, administrators, and students. She is specifically responsible for working with clients, faculty, and staff to successfully deliver programs at Babson and worldwide. She also works closely with the dean of the Babson Academy to capture college-wide international activities, serving as the initial contact person for prospective visitors to the College.
Prior to this role, she served as an administrative assistant in the Glavin Office of International Education and assistant to the dean for eight years. She earned her BA from Stonehill College in both international relations and Spanish and recently earned her MBA from Babson College.
Bianca Odiete
Operations Coordinator
As Operations Coordinator, Bianca provides daily support to the Babson Academy, conducts process analysis, handles financial tasks, and actively contributes to various programs and projects. With nearly two decades of experience in project and program management for both non-profits and IT firms, she brings a wealth of expertise to the team.
Bianca joined the Babson Academy team in February 2023 as a temporary Program Coordinator, where she played a pivotal role in ensuring the successful delivery of the 2023 Babson Build program. She transitioned to a full-time position as the Operations Coordinator in August 2023.
Bianca is a proud graduate of Long Island University and is passionate about music, thrift shopping, and cherishes quality family time.
Jessika Lazala
Program Administrator, Youth Impact Lab
As Program Administrator, Jessika is responsible for planning, execution and evaluation of Youth Impact Lab programs, most notably our educator training certificate programs, EPIC curriculum licenses, and the annual Summer Study program for high school students.
Before joining Babson, Jessika held supporting roles in development, programming, and outreach, and has been responsible for stewarding relationships with community partners in the nonprofit sector.
Prior to that, Jessika taught as an AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow in New Bedford and a substitute teacher in Boston. In her free time, Jessika likes to do yoga, enjoys all forms of art, and writes poetry!
Jennie Backstrom
Program Coordinator, Babson Collaborative
Jennie is responsible for Babson Collaborative operations, communications, and coordination of programs, including the global student challenge, global summit, student network, webinars and activities throughout the year. Jennie maintains databases and member engagement platforms such as the member portal, and dynamic WhatsApp community. She supports institutional champions and their communities, ensuring excellent customer service and increased member engagement.
Prior to joining Babson in 2023, Jennie served as director of membership at a non-profit human service and wellness organization. She has 20 years’ experience in customer success and international VIP & corporate event planning.
Jennie earned her B.A. from the University of New Hampshire in Cultural Anthropology with a minor in Italian Studies. She also has thirteen years’ experience as a yoga instructor.
Featured Faculty
Candida Brush
F.W. Olin Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship
Areas of Expertise: Entrepreneurship, new venture creation, nascent ventures, angel financing, venture capital financing, gender and entrepreneurship, healthcare entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education and pedagogy
Eliana Crosina ’05, MBA’11
Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship
Areas of Expertise: Identity, new venture creation and growth, entrepreneurial ecosystems, qualitative methods
Sinan Erzurumlu
Professor, Operations and Information Management
Faculty Director for the Full-Time MBA Programs
Faculty Director, Full-Time MBA Programs
Areas of Expertise: Strategic innovation management, sustainability, technology and operations management, innovation strategy, decision making under uncertainty
Sebastian Fixson
Professor, Operations and Information Management
Associate Dean of Graduate Programs and Innovation
Marla M. Capozzi MBA’96 Term Chair in Design Thinking, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Areas of Expertise: Innovation, design thinking, product design and development, operations management, corporate entrepreneurship
William B. Gartner
Professor, Entrepreneurship
Bertarelli Foundation Distinguished Professor of Family Entrepreneurship
Areas of Expertise: Entrepreneurship as practice, the social construction of the future, varieties of value creation and appropriation, translating entrepreneurship across cultures and countries, the poetics of exchange, the demographics of entrepreneurial families, the influence of legacy on family entrepreneurship
Bradley George
Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship
Areas of Expertise: Areas of Expertise: Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, early venture analysis, environmental entrepreneurship, sustainability, curriculum development
Wiljeana Glover
Associate Professor, Operations and Information Management
Stephen C. and Carmella R. Kletjian Foundation Distinguished Professor of Global Healthcare Entrepreneurship
Founding Faculty Director, Kerry Murphy Healey Center for Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Areas of Expertise: Healthcare systems innovation and improvement, scaling operations, experimentation and problem solving
Patricia Greene
Professor Emerita
Areas of Expertise: Identification, acquisition, and combination of entrepreneurial resources, particularly by women and minority entrepreneurs
Nada Hashmi
Assistant Professor, Operations and Information Management
Areas of Expertise: Information systems, group dynamics and group size, collective intelligence scores, women in leadership, gender equality, social entrepreneurship, women and healthcare
Erik Noyes
Associate Professor, Entrepreneurship
Areas of Expertise: Innovation management, growth strategy, entrepreneurial thinking, new venture creation, business innovation
Vincent Onyemah
Associate Professor, Marketing
Areas of Expertise: Business development, business to business marketing, entrepreneurial/professional selling, sales force management
Angela Randolph
Assistant Professor, Entrepreneurship
Areas of Expertise: Entrepreneurship, cognition, and poverty
Jay Rao P’21 ’24
Professor, Operations and Information Management
Areas of Expertise: Innovation strategy, culture of innovation, innovation implementation and scaling, corporate entrepreneurship, service strategies
Keith Rollag
Professor, Management
Areas of Expertise: Management and organizational behavior, management training, newcomer training and socialization, social networks
Jeffrey Shay ’87, MBA’91
Professor, Entrepreneurship
Executive Director for Academic Operations for the Arthur M. Blank School for Entrepreneurial Leadership
Areas of Expertise: Entrepreneurship, international management, strategic management
Adam Sulkowski
Associate Professor, Accounting & Law
Areas of Expertise: Business law, sustainability, sustainable entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility
Elizabeth Swanson P’19
Professor, Arts & Humanities
Mandell Family Foundation Senior Term Chair
Areas of Expertise: Literature and human rights; African American literature; culture, and history; slavery studies; diversity, equity, and belonging
Beth Wynstra
Associate Professor, Arts & Humanities
Areas of Expertise: Modern Drama, political theater, public speaking and performance, rhetorical history and theory, Eugene O’Neill, gender studies
Andrew Zacharakis
Professor, Entrepreneurship
John H. Muller Jr. Professor of Entrepreneurial Studies
Areas of Expertise: Entrepreneurship, venture capital, new venture creation
Complete Faculty List of Babson College
Review Babson College’s complete faculty list to get a sense of the breadth and depth of our faculty expertise.
Meet Faculty in the One Hour Entrepreneurship Educator Webinar Series
In this free, monthly webinar series, you can meet accomplished Babson faculty and learn about important topics specific to entrepreneurship education. You’ll also have the opportunity to network with other educators across the world. Join us!
Contact the Babson Academy
We’d love to hear from you and see how we might work together through entrepreneurship education to create economic and social value worldwide.