ATLANTA—Jennifer Sherer has been named the executive officer for entrepreneurship at Georgia State University. The appointment represents a continuation of the university’s goal to strengthen the culture of entrepreneurship and innovation across campus.
Sherer will continue to serve as the director of the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute (ENI), which is supported by the J. Mack Robinson College of Business. She has held this position since joining Georgia State in 2018.
In her new role within the Office of the Provost, Sherer will represent the university on entrepreneurship-related matters in the greater community and lead a university-wide entrepreneurship working group. Under her leadership, she will coordinate activities representing Georgia State’s spirit of creativity and enterprise across multiple dimensions, including ENI as well as in activities such as social entrepreneurship in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, media entrepreneurship through the Creative Media Industries Institute, and biomedical enterprise in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences.
Sherer will oversee the development of a university-wide strategic plan for inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation and will expand and integrate non-curricular innovation and entrepreneurship resources, initiatives, and spaces such as LaunchGSU, the on-campus student incubator, to serve a broader population of entrepreneurs and innovators.
She also will develop a strategy to increase campus-wide engagement of student entrepreneurs and continue to scale the Main Street Entrepreneurs Seed Fund (MSESF), Georgia State’s award-winning business accelerator that increases access to funds and counsel among underrepresented Georgia State entrepreneurs.
“We have a strong track record with interdisciplinary partnerships, and expanding my role will enable ENI to continue to build partnerships across campus and increase access to entrepreneurship and innovation-focused education,” said Sherer.
For the role she has taken as executive officer for entrepreneurship, Sherer will report to Nicolle Parsons-Pollard, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.
“Entrepreneurship is a key component of Georgia State’s efforts to provide an educational experience that prepares students to take risks, create, and innovate,” Parsons-Pollard said. “Just as Georgia State opens doors to student success for all regardless of background, I am confident that Jennifer will continue our vital work in proving that entrepreneurship is for everybody.”
More than 1,200 students are majoring or minoring in some form of entrepreneurship at Georgia State. Students take rigorous courses in a specific discipline along with entrepreneurship and commercial application courses, engage in networking opportunities and specialized career coaching, and participate in mentoring opportunities all to become future leaders and innovators. They graduate prepared to tackle complex problems for industry, a startup or small business, or even their own new venture.
In ensuring that entrepreneurship is for all, Georgia State undergraduates regardless of their major can study in the field through a minor in the discipline. As a major, Robinson students can earn a B.B.A. in the field.
At the graduate level, ENI offers an MBA with a concentration in entrepreneurship and a graduate certificate in disruptive innovation and entrepreneurship. ENI also offers integrated programs jointly administered by the Robinson College of Business and other units on campus. Students can earn a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies (B.I.S.) in biomedical science and enterprise or a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies (M.I.S.) in biomedical enterprise through the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, a B.I.S in media entrepreneurship through the Creative Media Industries Institute, and a B.I.S. in social entrepreneurship through the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.
“With one of the most diverse university student bodies in the country and a college of business that has invested uniquely to enhance our digital capabilities, we’re championing ‘innovation for all’ and positioning ourselves as a global leader in preparing students of all backgrounds to innovate, create value, and seize the opportunities of the technology revolution,” said Robinson Dean Richard Phillips.
Sherer has dedicated her career to driving innovation and supporting entrepreneurs. Before joining Georgia State, she was vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. There, she launched numerous initiatives to promote collaboration in the innovation community, support high-growth entrepreneurs, and elevate Atlanta’s status as a globally recognized innovation hub. Previously, Sherer served as executive director of Southeast Life Sciences (formerly Southeast BIO), a regional nonprofit organization that fosters life science innovation and investment in the Southeast U.S.