Linda Darragh has been appointed executive director of the Levy Institute for Entrepreneurial Practice and the Heizer Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Darragh had worked at Kellogg, as part of its entrepreneurship team, from 1999 to 2005. She then worked at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business as director of entrepreneurship programs, “where she has been instrumental in furthering the teaching and practice of entrepreneurship at Booth, in Chicago and beyond.”
As head of these initiatives, Darragh will also lead the Kellogg Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative (KIEI), “which will combine and deepen the strength of our centers of excellence related to innovation, growth and new business formation,” according to Dean Sally Blount. The Darragh appointment and the establishment of KIEI represent the implementation of Kellogg’s previously announced intention to focus on four specific areas of management education:
- Markets, customers and growth, a historic strength at the school
- Innovation and entrepreneurship.
- Architectures of collaboration—AKA teamwork, another Kellogg strength.
- Private enterprise and public policy
Implications for applicants:
Applicants applying to Kellogg need to understand the dean’s intentions and how these changes and foci will help them achieve their educational and professional goals. If you are an applicant to Kellogg and interested in entrepreneurship, you should research the work of these two centers and see if they are relevant to your interests. If yes, then show how you can use the center’s work and Kellogg’s emphasis on innovation and entrepreneurship to your advantage. How do you intend to contribute to innovation and entrepreneurship at Kellogg?
