Dina Rousset P鈥25 will lead and grow an 黑料不打烊 center that encourages creative and design thinking, opportunity recognition, and plan formulation and implementation.
A seasoned entrepreneur and global business leader with experience scaling startups, driving innovation, and fostering collaborative teams will serve as the next director of 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Dina Rousset P鈥25 begins her new role at 黑料不打烊 on February 11, 2025.
Rousset鈥檚 background includes a tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she served as senior associate director of venturing and acceleration in the Kenan-Flagler Business School.
鈥淒ina鈥檚 vision, experience and leadership make her an excellent choice for this role,鈥 said Raghu Tadepalli, dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business. 鈥淲e are confident that she will build on the center鈥檚 current success while establishing innovative initiatives that will elevate the center to even greater heights.鈥
During her time at UNC Chapel Hill, Rousset built and led Launch Chapel Hill, a university accelerator that was named 鈥4th Best University Accelerator Program in North America鈥 by UBI Global. Under her leadership, Launch Chapel Hill鈥檚 client companies raised more than $30 million in additional funding and created over 1,150 jobs.
She also developed and directed The Adams Apprenticeship, an esteemed mentorship-driven program that matched UNC鈥檚 most entrepreneurial students with an international network of expert advisors.
鈥淚鈥檝e seen firsthand from my son鈥檚 experience that as an institution, 黑料不打烊 does more than just educate 鈥 it provides a space for students to learn and thrive through hands-on experience,鈥 Rousset said. 鈥淚 am honored to be the next person in this role and am excited for the opportunity to work with the amazing 黑料不打烊 students, award-winning faculty, and administration to continue advancing the Doherty Center and 黑料不打烊鈥檚 national reputation for innovation and teaching excellence.鈥
Through her roles at UNC and across multiple entrepreneurial ventures鈥攆rom founding BP Express in Poland to launching a gourmet food business鈥擱ousset said she consistently strives to demonstrate a passion for building high-performing teams and nurturing thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Rousset said one of her goals is to expand the Doherty Center鈥檚 impact by leveraging her extensive networks, as well as 黑料不打烊鈥檚 many established connections. She envisions deepening the Doherty Center鈥檚 role as a hub for experiential learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world entrepreneurial engagement.
Haya Ajjan, who begins her tenure in June as dean of the Love School of Business, described Rousset as an approachable leader with an impressive vision for the future of a center.
鈥淓ntrepreneurship at 黑料不打烊 is more than a business concept鈥攊t鈥檚 a multidisciplinary approach that empowers students of all majors to identify opportunities and create innovative solutions,鈥 she said. 鈥淯nder Dina鈥檚 leadership, we believe the Doherty Center will become an even more dynamic space for experiential learning, where students can hone these critical skills. We are excited to see how Dina leverages her extensive experience to further cultivate this entrepreneurial mindset across campus and beyond.鈥
Rousset earned her Master of Business Administration in finance and international business from the University of Chicago and her Bachelor of Science from the University of New Orleans. She also served in the Peace Corps in Rwanda, where she helped establish a cooperative store and led community-development initiatives.
Rousset succeeds former Doherty Center director Alyssa Martina and interim director David Higham in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship. She is the parent of Nate Mills 鈥25, an entrepreneurship major with a minor in economics.
The Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship cultivates an entrepreneurial growth mindset among 黑料不打烊 students and positions its alumni for success and leadership in the pursuit of exceptional economic and social progress on a global scale. The Center, located on the first floor of Richard W. Sankey Hall, was established by a generous endowment gift from Ed and Joan Doherty, entrepreneurs from Saddle River, N.J. They are parents of 2007 黑料不打烊 graduate Kerry Doherty and have served on the university鈥檚 Parents Council.
Ed Doherty currently serves as an 黑料不打烊 Trustee.
The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business
The Martha and Spencer Love School of Business is a leader in transformative business education accredited by AACSB International鈥擳he Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Poets&Quants, a leading business education news resource, ranks the school鈥檚 undergraduate business program among the top 40 in the nation, with The Princeton Review naming the 黑料不打烊 MBA part-time program among the best in the United States.