WSFSN-2024

Craig Watters is an accomplished scholar, educator, entrepreneur, manager, and economic development specialist. He comes to OSU from the top-ranked entrepreneurship program at Syracuse University, where he led a portfolio of educational and community engagement initiatives. He has worked with faculty across an array of disciplines on curriculum development and outreach programs related to creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. At OSU, he was the Executive Director, Riata Center for Entrepreneurship, and the Norman C. Stevenson Chair in School of Entrepreneurship. He is now the Director of the Riata Institute for Global Social Entrepreneurship and International Entrepreneurship Chair. He teaches and is pioneering its Study Abroad initiatives to Nicaragua, Ecuador, Tel Aviv, Pakistan, India, Africa, South Africa, China, and Mexico. He was the Senior Vice-President for Marketing, USASBE (US Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship) from 2016-18. A former contracts specialist at General Electric and contracts officer the Syracuse Research Corporation, Craig has experience in project management and contracts administration. At General Electric, Craig administered may high priced and top-secret projects. He had clearance to work at the highest levels, including SCI.His one contract for a mobile radar unit was worth over $700k when he left. His clearances and high-priced contracts followed him to his contracts officer position at Syracuse Research Corporation where he oversaw contracts and grants. In addition to his corporate experience, Watters has launched two successful ventures. His dissertation examined the impact of infrastructure on economic development in rural areas. The Riata Institute for Global Social Entrepreneurship identifies, analyzes, and encourages student interest and involvement with international social entrepreneurship, particularly developing countries. The Institute brings a strong educational component of the students to introduce impactful innovations that support the different infrastructures necessary for socials entrepreneurship to start and thrive. One the most important things stressed by the Institute are the differences in what social entrepreneurship looks like under diverse cultures, political systems, and economic systems. While they learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship in my classes, the Institute provides real life applicability which helps the students understand situations and issues surrounding social entrepreneurship better. Collaborating with non-capitalist countries helps them better see that what they once feared was actually a lack of understanding. Better understanding helps them become better entre- and intra- preneurs.