2007 Faculty Pioneers

J. Gregory Dees is Professor of the Practice of Social Entrepreneurship and Nonprofit Management, and the founding Faculty Director of the Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship (CASE) at Duke University 's Fuqua School of Business. He has played a leading role in developing the academic field of social entrepreneurship since its inception. Greg has produced over 60 cases, articles, chapters, and concept notes related to this topic, as well as editing two books with Jed Emerson and Peter Economy: Enterprising Nonprofits and Strategic Tools for Social Entrepreneurs . His work bridges the gap between business and the social sector, and between theory and practice, making knowledge useful for social entrepreneurs, as well as the funders, consultants, and educators who work in this field.

Greg started his academic career at the Yale School of Management, where he taught a highly regarded course on “New Ventures,” singled out as a “one sure bet” in Business Week 's review of top business schools. He later moved to Harvard Business School , where he helped launch the Initiative on Social Enterprise and created a path-breaking course on “Entrepreneurship in the Social Sector,” for which he received Harvard's Apgar Award for Innovation in Teaching. After a two-year leave in which he worked on entrepreneurial development in central Appalachia, Greg returned to academia as the Miriam and Peter Haas Centennial Professor in Public Service at Stanford University, where he also served as founding Co-Director of the Center for Social Innovation. At Duke, he worked with Beth Battle Anderson to build CASE from scratch into one of the premier academic centers in this rapidly growing field.

He works in many ways to build this emerging field. Greg is on several boards and advisory boards, including the Bridgespan Group, REDF, SJF Advisory Services, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, and Communities by Choice. He has served as an Entrepreneur in Residence advising the Kauffman Foundation and as a methodology advisor and judge for Fast Company 's Social Capitalist Awards. He speaks widely and regularly advises social entrepreneurs, foundations, academics, and others interested in social entrepreneurship.

Prior to his academic career, Greg was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. He holds a PhD in philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University, a Masters in Public and Private Management from Yale, and a BA with high honors in philosophy from the University of Cincinnati , where he has recently received the James C. Kautz Alumni Master Award.