Reflections and Lessons

The SMART trip is almost over and in a few hours, we will be leaving New Orleans. It’s been a long week of interviews and finding strategies that best fit our client’s objective. Each member of the team can attest to the fact that it has been a learning experience. Here are a few lessons from […]

Day 9: The Role of Academia in Entrepreneurship Development

Today, our team met with Southern University’s College of Business and Law School to learn more about the role each institution plays in supporting the community’s economic and entrepreneurial development. Dean Don Andrews of Southern University’s College of Business emphasized the importance of developing human capital in fostering entrepreneurship in the community. In recent years, SU […]

Day 6&7&8 – Foundation for the Mid-South

During the day 6&7&8, our team travelled to Jackson – the capital city of Mississippi. We finally met Dr. Ivye L. Allen, CEO of Foundation for the Mid-south. “The Foundation for the Mid South was established to bring together the public and private sectors and focus their resources on increasing social and economic opportunity. The mission of the […]

Day 4&5 -Patient Capital to support Entrepreneurs

On Day 4, we met with a Louisiana state representative and discussed government policies that can support entrepreneurs in the region. He is a very humble man. He answered so many of our questions and also told us many economic development related policies that governments tend to use. We had three meetings in day 5. Firstly we meet with a […]

Day 3: Perspectives from an Entrepreneur, a Professor and a Policy Leader

Day 3 has been very insightful! We are still processing and refining the different information received. Today, our team met a diverse group of leaders who are passionate about the work they do. Our first interviewee was a couple. The husband, a former runner and coach, manages Cross Road Africa and the wife a […]

Day 2: A take on economic development from a real estate angle

Our second day of research took an unexpected spin as we learned about development in a context outside of the traditional boxes of entrepreneurship. Today we met an extraordinary woman – Ms. Linetta Gilbert of the West Bank Development Initiative – working to develop her community from a real estate perspective. Ms. Gilbert has a […]

Day 1: Ready.Set.Go.

Fingers crossed…Legs twitching… Beaming Smiles…Ready Minds It’s the first day of our SMART project and as we prepare to speak with entrepreneurs, non profit leaders and policy makers in the community, we are both excited and nervous about the responses we will receive from this community. The previous night, our team brainstormed potential leading questions […]

The Power Team

Meet Our Team!

SMART Program 2017 Introduction (Gulf-South Team)

Welcome to the blog of Cornell University Multidisciplinary Applied Research Team (SMART) Program trip to New Orleans, Louisiana.