Joining the Conversation: ‘Legacy of Black Entrepreneurship in the United States’

The Keller Center at Princeton University hosted Texas A&M University-Commerce College of Business Professor of Management Dr. John Humphreys and Associate Professor of Management Dr. Milorad M. Novicevic from the University of Mississippi as part of their ongoing speaker series titled “History and Legacy of Black Entrepreneurship in the United States.”

Humphreys’ and Novicecic's workshop, “Exploring Historic Black Social Innovators and Organizational Theory,” discussed the lived experience of historic Black social innovators and the theory surrounding them.

In this public presentation, Humphreys and Novicecic discussed the current void in theorizing historical Black social innovation. Using presented studies, they delved deeper into organizational theories and how they may be enriched to incorporate the compelling life experiences of historic Black innovators acting as entrepreneurial leaders.

The pair’s talk focused on the historical cases of institutional entrepreneurship exhibited by James Meredith’s institutional entrepreneurship to help expand the understanding of the complementary processes of endorsement and contestation within the social construction of entrepreneurial leader identity.

“Dr. Novicevic and I were honored to be part of Princeton University’s Keller Center speaker series on the History and Legacy of Black Entrepreneurship in the United States,” Humphreys. said. “The Keller Center is one of the world’s foremost hubs for creating societal impact through entrepreneurship and innovation. We presented examples of our research to showcase how organizational theories may be enriched by incorporating the compelling life experiences of historic Black innovators acting as entrepreneurial leaders.”

Humphreys’ participation as part of the series hosted by the Keller Center aligns with the College of Business' commitment to promoting diversity, equity and inclusion both on campus and beyond. It is worth mentioning that College of Business faculty and staff have been invited to speak at various conferences, including the America Accreditation Conference – AACSB in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as the 2023 Undergraduate Deans Conference in Dallas, Texas, to share their knowledge, insights and expertise to help foster a more inclusive and informed community for all.