Committee Charge:
This committee focuses on issues and opportunities that reflect the unique career paths of many scholars in the field of Entrepreneurship who have traveled from the world of entrepreneurship practice into the academic world.
The committee is among the standing committees organized under the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management.
Committee Initiatives and Activities:
In following its purpose, the committee helps build a strong connection between practice (industry) and theory (scholarship/research) in the academy. This can be in many forms, including, but not limited to:
- Mentoring scholars who have traveled through an entrepreneurial career before transitioning to an academic role
- Developing and sharing teaching methods and resources unique to entrepreneurial practice
- Working with practitioners to better understand research results posted in academic journals
- Identifying and contributing empirical research addressing relevant practice topics
- Providing avenues for scholars to work with practitioners in industry
- Conducting workshops at Academy conferences to share teaching resources, career advice, and research findings
- Providing easy access to related resources via online methods (e.g. via the Practitioner-Theory Connection web site)
Over the years, committee members have organized PDWs that focus on the nexus between entrepreneurship theory and entrepreneurship practice and built relationship networks to share research and teaching experiences not only among committee members but also across the ENT Division and the Academy at large. Within the broader Academy-level context of practitioner-theory connections, we focus on the specific needs of entrepreneur practitioners and the role of academic scholars creating relevant research and translating it for the world of entrepreneurial practice. At each annual Academy meeting, the committee seeks to strengthen the ties between researchers and entrepreneur practitioners.
Brief History of the Committee:
The committee was originally formed as the Nontraditional Academics Committee by Brian McKenzie of CSU East Bay who chaired it from 2004-2007. From 2007-2010, Joel West of San Jose State built the identity of the committee and expanded its interests. Helder Sebastiao of the University of Portland chaired the Committee from 2010-2011 expanding its membership through a LinkedIn group . In 2012, Tom Mierzwa of the University of Maryland was asked to step in as chair. During this period, the committee was re-branded as the Entrepreneur Practitioner-Scholars Committee. In 2014, the Committee initiated and managed the Entrepreneurship Practice award under the sponsorship of the Small Giants Community. Currently, John Mueller of St. Edward's University chairs the committee.
* The logo for the Practitioner-Scholars committee was designed by Gabe Gatchalian, a designer and member of the team at the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at California State University, Fresno. His passion for graphic design and entrepreneurship has led him to establish his own clothing line, which has helped get his foot into the door of the street wear industry. During his free time, he designs for Thinkwalkers Inc., a design firm located in sunny San Diego, CA. He loves gaming and the occasional Saturday morning cartoon. Gabe is a graduate of California State University, Fresno.