Job Description

The Director of the Carroll Entrepreneurship Center provides leadership for a university-wide, community-facing initiative designed to cultivate innovation, support new venture creation, and strengthen the Clarksville/Montgomery County regional economy. The Director will develop and lead programs that connect APSU students, faculty, alumni, entrepreneurs, investors, and community partners while positioning the University as an essential partner in the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The Director reports to the Dean of the College of Business and works collaboratively with academic and administrative leaders across the University, the Center’s Advisory Board, and external community partners.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead the Center’s strategic direction and operations, developing annual programs and initiatives aligned with the Center’s mission and APSU’s institutional priorities.
• Build and strengthen the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem by developing relationships with entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, economic development organizations, civic organizations, government agencies, and other community partners, with particular attention to the opportunities and needs of veteran and military-connected entrepreneurs.
• Develop and oversee entrepreneurship programming for APSU students and community entrepreneurs, including workshops, founder sprints, pitch competitions, mentoring, and other experiential learning opportunities.
• Lead the APSU Student Pitch Competition and other initiatives that identify, develop, and support promising student ventures.
• Support faculty innovation and commercialization by connecting faculty from across the University with resources and partners that can help translate research, creative work, and professional expertise into market- or community-ready applications.
• Administer the Center’s Community Microgrant Program, including developing funding priorities, managing application and review processes, monitoring awards, and assessing outcomes.
• Coordinate closely with the APSU Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to create an effective pipeline of support for entrepreneurs, ensuring that services complement rather than duplicate existing resources.
• Engage students in the Center’s work, including through Entrepreneurship Fellows, research, venture evaluation, program delivery, and other high-impact learning experiences.
• Convene and work with the Center’s Advisory Board, using its expertise and connections to strengthen programming, partnerships, and regional impact.
• Develop sustainable funding and partnership opportunities in collaboration with APSU leadership and the APSU Foundation, including corporate sponsorships, grants, government partnerships, and philanthropic support.
• Track, evaluate, and communicate the Center’s impact, including student participation, venture creation and growth, faculty commercialization, community engagement, strategic partnerships, funding leveraged, and regional economic impact.
• Represent APSU and the Carroll Entrepreneurship Center at relevant community, regional, and national entrepreneurship events and organizations.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

The Director will be expected to demonstrate measurable progress in student entrepreneurship, faculty innovation and commercialization, new venture development, community engagement, strategic partnerships, funding leveraged, and regional economic impact while establishing the Carroll Entrepreneurship Center as a recognized resource for entrepreneurs throughout APSU and the Clarksville/Montgomery County community.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree; advanced degree preferred.
• Demonstrated experience in entrepreneurship, innovation, venture development, economic development, business development, or a related field.
• Experience developing and managing programs, partnerships, or initiatives involving multiple stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, organizational, and relationship-building skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across academic disciplines and with external community partners.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to identify opportunities, build relationships, and translate ideas into action.

Physical Requirements

• Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.

Austin Peay State University is a four-year public, doctoral-level university, with six colleges and four Chairs of Excellence. The University has an enrollment of over 11,000 students and is located in Clarksville, Tennessee, a community of an estimated 150,287 people located approximately 40 miles northwest of Nashville, TN.

Austin Peay State University is a proud supporter of hiring veterans. We hire veterans with equivalent experiences and pay grades from their military service, rather than requiring or preferring only college degrees. Please visit our website for more information on how veterans can qualify for additional employment opportunities at APSU: https://www.apsu.edu/human-resources/hiring-veterans/.

Austin Peay State University (APSU) prohibits discrimination in all employment, programs, and activities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy), disability, age, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. For Title IX inquiries or complaints, contact: Chief of Institutional Culture & Title IX Coordinator, LaNeeça R. Williams at williamslr@apsu.edu | 931-221-7690, Browning Building, Room 140, Clarksville, TN 37044. For other non-discrimination concerns, contact: Director of Institutional Culture & Title VI & Title VII Coordinator, Dr. Jo Baldwin at baldwinjapsu.edu | 931-221-7178 or Associate Director of Accessibility Compliance & ADA/504 Coordinator, Jayme Glover at gloverj@apsu.edu | 931-221-7160. View APSU’s full nondiscrimination policy at Policy 6:001.