Turner School of Entrepreneurship Names New Director

William McDowell, Ph.D., has been named Executive/Academic Director of the Robert and Carolyn Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Bradley University.  He will begin his duties with the start of the fall semester in August 2017. He will also become the Turner Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship.

Created in 2012, The Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation is a stand-alone academic unit, offering students in all disciplines opportunities to study entrepreneurship and innovation in classrooms and experiential settings. Bradley was among the first universities in the nation to have a school of entrepreneurship and the first established as a freestanding academic unit.Entrepreneurship education is historically restricted to students studying business or engineering, and is housed in a specific college, while the Turner School is available to students throughout the University. 

Since 2014, Dr. McDowell has been Full Professor and Chairholder, Wright Travel Chair of Entrepreneurship at Middle Tennessee State University. Prior to MTSU, he served as an Associate Professor of Management at East Carolina University. He earned his Ph.D. (2006) in Management from the University of North Texas. His research topics include small business, entrepreneurship, family business, and interorganizational relationships. His research can be seen in numerous journals including Journal of Small Business Strategy, Journal of Business Issues, Journal of Business and Entrepreneurship, and New England Journal of Entrepreneurship, among others. In addition, he has served as small business expert before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business.

Provost and Sr. Vice President of Academic Affairs, Dr. Walter Zakahi says Bradley is fortunate to have recruited Dr. McDowell.  "He brings experience leading a school of entrepreneurship and he has a strong scholarly record and reputation for entrepreneurial research.  I look forward to his arrival on campus next fall."

The Turner School offers numerous entrepreneurship programs and activities including Brave Pitch Elevator Pitch Competition, Mentors on Call, Entrepreneurial Internships, Distinguished Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, and Entrepreneur-In-Residence Program, among others.  Click here to learn more about the Turner School.