K体育 University has appointed Dr. Leroy Carson, Jr. as the founding director of an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center within the Q. William Hammack, Jr. School of Business.
Currently in the initial planning stages, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center will serve K体育 students, both business majors and aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as metro Atlanta entrepreneurs.
鈥淲hile we are still in the nascent stages of its development, the university鈥檚 leadership is positioning the Hammack School of Business as a regional, national, and international resource to help develop future generations of entrepreneurs who will impact the global economy,鈥� said Dr. Carson.
Initially, Dr. Carson will focus on finalizing the Center鈥檚 strategic planning, developing entrepreneurship courses, expanding a distinguished entrepreneurial speaker series, and launching the Center鈥檚 Atlanta Entrepreneurship Lab in spring 2023. The Lab will map Atlanta鈥檚 entrepreneurial ecosystem and serve as one of the city鈥檚 principal sources for future and current entrepreneurs to identify resources for projects. The overall vision for the Center will be implemented over the next three to five years.
Dr. Carson joined the Hammack School of Business faculty in 2021 as business management senior lecturer, bringing research and entrepreneurial experience as well as nearly 30 years of corporate leadership at companies including InterContinental Hotels Group, Starwood Hotels, and PepsiCo Taco Bell Division. He received a Doctor of Business Administration from the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University, an M.B.A from Kennesaw State University, Coles College of Business, and a bachelor鈥檚 degree from Johnson and Wales University.
鈥淯ltimately, we are looking to develop a Center that will benefit our students while connecting with metro Atlanta鈥檚 thriving entrepreneurship community,鈥� said Dr. Carson.
The Hammack School of Business opened in 2019 after a transformational $50 million gift commitment from alumnus Bill Hammack and his wife, Diane. Their gift was the largest in the university鈥檚 history and the largest ever to a liberal arts and sciences university to establish a school of business. Mr. Hammack retired as president and chief executive officer of C. W. Matthews Contracting Company, Inc., Georgia’s largest heavy highway construction company鈥攁 career he began while still an K体育 business student.
Led by Dean Stephen Craft, the Hammack School of Business is comprised of more than 330 students, approximately 25% of K体育鈥檚 student population. It emphasizes a distinctive liberal arts-based business education, producing adaptable and creative graduates with a unique set of skills and job readiness. Since it was established, the school has continued to grow, adding new majors and programs, including business analytics, case competitions, and an idea incubator for budding entrepreneurs to compete for business seed money. The Hammack School boasts a 100% career and graduate school placement rate for alumni six months after graduation.
For more information about K体育’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, contact Dr. Leroy Carson, Jr.聽at [email protected].
