Joyce J. Elam, executive dean, College of Business Administration, Florida International University (FIU) has appointed Irma Becerra-Fernandez (PhD ’94) director of the college’s Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center.
“The Pino Center will have a new focus on innovation,” said Becerra-Fernandez, Knight Ridder Center Research Professor and professor, Department of Decision Sciences and Information Systems. “We plan to help new entrepreneurs create innovative ventures—ventures that create jobs, which in turn create economic spillover into communities.”
Outreach through South Florida and Latin America planned, support needed.
According to her, “We feel we can make a difference by accelerating the growth of entrepreneurship in South Florida, and if we further extend our efforts to Latin America, we can have a huge impact. Many South Florida ventures have strong ties to Latin America and there is no border separating us, only the ocean.”
Becerra-Fernandez looks forward to working with staff members Lauren Suarez (MIB ’08, BBA ’05), assistant director; Arlette Prats, program assistant; and Karyne Bury (IMBA ’08), marketing and events coordinator, and is also is seeking sponsors to help support the center’s work. Contact her at entrepreneurship@fiu.edu for more details.
To find out more about Becerra-Fernandez’s general plans for the Pino Center, view the video and be sure to visit BizNews in the fall, when we’ll cover specifics of the new strategy.
