The Urban Entrepreneurship Initiative is pleased and honored to announce the keynote speaker for Urban Entrepreneurship Symposium 2014. Jeffrey A. Robinson, Ph.D. is an award winning business school professor, international speaker and entrepreneur. Since 2008, he has been a leading faculty member at Rutgers Business School where he is an associate professor of management and entrepreneurship and the Academic Director of The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development. He is the author of books and articles on such topics as social entrepreneurship, African American women in entrepreneurship, urban entrepreneurship policy and patterns of Black employment. Through his research, business ownership and community activities he makes direct impacts on entrepreneurship and economic development policy and practice in the United States and beyond.
Dr. Robinson is a passionate advocate for social entrepreneurship and economic development. He is particularly committed to supporting community building, entrepreneurship and the development of social ventures. He believes that long lasting change for urban and inner city communities is stimulated when community institutions, business leaders and government entities work together toward creating an ecosystem for developing and cultivating entrepreneurship. His most recent work is a multi-year project to study social entrepreneurship and social innovation in the U.S., Australia and China. Emerging from this pioneering research, the New Jersey Social Entrepreneurship Summit and the New Jersey Social Innovation Institute are national and international models for economic development and social problem solving using entrepreneurial approaches.
Dr. Robinson is a sought after speaker, author and media commentator recently appearing on Dateline NBC and NBC Nightly News, PBS, NJN News, Huff Post Live, NJ Biz, Caucus NJ, The Star-Ledger The Wall Street Journal, U.S. News and World Report and The New York Times. He has been the keynote speaker at international events and conferences in Shanghai, China; Lagos, Nigeria; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Melbourne, Australia; Moscow, Russia and London, England and has taught or presented his work on six continents. Dr. Robinson has five degrees in engineering, urban studies, management and entrepreneurship.
For a copy of Dr. Robinson’s full bio, click here.