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Jason S. Entsminger, Ph.D. joined the University of º£½ÇÉçÇø in September, 2022, with a joint appointment between the º£½ÇÉçÇø Business School and Uº£½ÇÉçÇø Cooperative Extension. As Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation within MBS, Dr. Entsminger engages in research and academic teaching on topics related to innovation, value creation, new venture startups, and entrepreneurial ecosystems. These activities integrate with his role as the State Extension Specialist for Small Business, through which he supports º£½ÇÉçÇø’s businesses and communities via applied research, outreach education programming, and sharing of expertise across other Extension program areas. Much of Dr. Entsminger’s expertise is in the realms of agriculture and food businesses and rural community economic development – particularly via rural entrepreneurship.

Prior to joining Uº£½ÇÉçÇø, Dr. Entsminger was Associate Director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development – one of four such regionally-focused centers established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to coordinate research and Extension activities across Land- and Sea-Grant Universities and other stakeholders that built the prosperity of rural communities and small-towns. As Associate Director, he led the Center’s Extension-focused efforts, and was appointed as Assistant Research Professor at Penn State University and Assistant Extension Professor at the University of Connecticut. He has also previously held research, teaching, and Extension roles within the McQuinn Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Missouri, the Institute of Applied Agriculture at the University of Maryland, the Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences at the University of Florida, and Nevada Cooperative Extension at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Dr. Entsminger is originally from Reno, Nevada. He has lived and/or worked in eight U.S. states and three foreign countries.