Dr. Michael Casson is currently the Dean of the College of Business at Delaware State University (DSU). He is known as an “out of the box”, an entrepreneurial thinker who has utilized his expertise and insight to engage, inform, and support the citizens of Delaware and the global community. In addition to serving as Dean, Dr. Casson is engaged in many other activities including Director of the Delaware State University Center for Economic Development and International Trade (UCEDIT); Associate Professor of Economics in the College of Business at DSU; Principal Investigator of U.S. Virgin Islands GIS Asset Mapping project funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration; President and Co-Founder of the Delaware Multicultural and Civic Organization (DEMCO); Founding Director of the Economic Development and Leadership Institute at DSU; Economist for the State of Delaware Department of Finance; Owner of Nationwide Flagging Corporation and; author of financial literacy and business development children’s book series titled, “Enwan the Entrepreneur.”

Dr. Cassonearned his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Florida A&M University, a Master of Arts in Economics (specializing in Mathematical Economics and Econometrics) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Ph.D. in Agriculture and Resource Economics (specializing in Econometrics, Linear Programming, Public Finance and Industrial Organization) from the University of Connecticut. form

Education Ph.D. Management. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, May 1996. Ph.D. Industrial/Organizational Psychology. University of Paris X Nanterre, Nanterre, France, December 1983. CAAE (MBA). University of Paris/Sorbonne, Institute of Business Administration, Paris, France, 1982. B.A. Psychology. University of Lyon 2, Lyon, France 1980. Research Interests/Area Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Organizational Neuroscience. Professional Memberships Academy of Management Africa Academy of Management USASBE (United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship).

Ms. Crawford has been employed by Delaware State University’s Delaware Center for Enterprise Development (DCED), formerly the Entrepreneurship Center, since 1995. She currently serves as the Director of DCED. Under her leadership, DCED provides business training and entrepreneurial education for youth and adults; operates a commercial kitchen incubator; provides specialized classes and workshops for small business owners, and offers one-on-one technical assistance to entrepreneurs. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University and an MBA from Rider University in New Jersey. Crawford is a certified trainer for Kauffman FastTrac™ and the Core Four® Business Planning Course. She was selected as the 2012 U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minority Small Business Champion of the Year for Delaware and Region III, and in 2013 the Consortium for Entrepreneur Education honored her with the Outstanding Entrepreneur Educator Award. Crawford was also presented the Partner’s Award by Independent Resources, Inc. in 2017. During her nearly 25 years at DSU Crawford, has built many positive relationships with small business resource providers and community stakeholders throughout the state of Delaware. She serves as a member of the Central Delaware Business and Entrepreneurship Consortium and the Hispanic Commission Sub-Committee on Economic Development. In addition to her role as DCED Director, Crawford is currently the Co-Director for the Verizon Innovative Learning Program at DSU which provides an innovative statewide STEM program for middle school minority males.

Troy Farmer, MSW, MCC, CPC, CLAC, CGC, is the Director for Delaware State University’s Innovation and Entrepreneur Maker Space, The Garage. She manages the ecosystem designed to support and drive innovation, product development, and commercialization.  Troy is an Alumni of Delaware State University with over 30 years of combined professional experience in Entrepreneurial Business Development Consulting and Coaching, Mental Health, Learning and Development, Organizational Development, and Executive Coaching.  Previously, Troy was the Director of the Entrepreneurial and Career-Readiness Programs for the YWCA Delaware, LLC. She was responsible for growing the career-readiness and entrepreneurial programs, working with minority groups, underrepresented populations, and those with barriers to economic development. Troy has also partnered with the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a co-facilitator of their 12-month Think Tank (Think Main) for Growth Start Businesses.  Troy has designed and delivered numerous curriculums for programs, such as Zip Code Wilmington’s nine-month Techpreneur Business Incubator for Software Developers. She has managed and judged pitch programs for new and current ventures. Troy recognizes that there is support needed in cultivating business ownership through the visionaries of our community and acquiring effective tools to help create the reality of owning and operating a viable, profitable business. Providing those essential tools is a part of the scope of learning, knowledge acquisition, and experience that she brings to organizational programs.