USASBE Celebrates 2026 Individual Award Recipients
Dr. Jeffrey Hornsby, Dr. Christoph WInkler and Dr. Krystal Geyer recognized at USASBE 2026 along with Longenecker Fellow inductees Dr. Erik Monsen, Dr. Susana Santos and Dr. Patrick J. Murphy.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- The United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) presented Dr. Jeffrey Hornsby with the Max S. Wortman Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship; Dr. Christoph Winkler was presented with the USASBE Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Award; Dr. Krystal Geyer was awarded the Ray Smilor USASBE Volunteer of the Year Award; Dr. Erik Monsen, Dr. Susana Santos and Dr. Patrick J. Murphy were inducted into the Longenecker Fellows during USASBE 2026 held in Salt Lake City, Utah in February.
Max S. Wortman Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship
Dr. Jeffrey S. Hornsby is currently the Henry Bloch/Missouri Endowed Chair of Entrepreneurship and
Innovation Executive as well as Director of the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and
Chair of the Department of Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Missouri-Kansas
City. Over the course of nearly 40 years, Jeff has left a lasting imprint on three prominent
entrepreneurship programs: Ball State University, Kansas State University, and UMKC. At each
institution, he not only launched new programs and expanded academic offerings but also
secured over $19 million in external funding to support entrepreneurship education. With nearly 150
refereed journal articles and proceedings and eight co-authored books, his scholarship offers both
breadth and depth across multiple sub-domains of entrepreneurship and innovation. His
pioneering work on corporate entrepreneurship is considered foundational, shaping not only
scholarly discourse but also how universities and organizations teach and practice innovation.
Established in 2004 and presented annually, the Max S. Wortman Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award for Entrepreneurship is the organization’s highest individual honor and recognizes a deserving individual or organization for a career spent consistently and enthusiastically pursuing the highest of entrepreneurial ideals via academic study, pedagogy, or venture creation.
2026 USASBE Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year
Dr. Christoph Winkler is the Hynes Endowed Professor of Entrepreneurship & Innovation and Founding Program Director of the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Iona University. His career represents a remarkable convergence of educational innovation, scholarly excellence, and unwavering commitment to advancing the field of entrepreneurship education. Under his leadership, the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Iona University demonstrates exceptional student engagement with more than one-third of Iona's entire student body participating in entrepreneurship programs during the 2024-2025 academic year alone, validating Dr. Winkler's innovative approach to entrepreneurship education at the intersection of curricular, co-curricular, and community-engaged learning. Most remarkably, Dr. Winkler has built an entrepreneurship program that transcends traditional academic boundaries, engaging students across all disciplines and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset throughout the university community. His educational philosophy centers on experiential learning environments that develop creativity, innovation, and personal growth. This approach has proven transformative for thousands of students and has been recognized as a model for institutions worldwide. Dr. Winkler also serves as Executive Editor of EE&P and regularly serves as a leader in the USASBE Doctoral Consortium.
The Entrepreneurship Educator of the Year Award is given to a mid-career individual who has provided distinguished educational leadership within the field of entrepreneurship. Winners will typically have contributed advancements to the way in which educators think about and approach entrepreneurship teaching and learning.
Ray Smilor USASBE Volunteer of the Year Award
Dr. Krystal Geyer is the Assistant Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Ohio University. She joined Ohio University in July 2022 after serving as the Assistant Director at Ball State. Prior to that, she spent several years standing up innovation and entrepreneurship programming for students from first years to post docs at Ohio State University. Her biggest priority and joy in life is helping students of all ages find their passions, create value, and succeed.
Krystal has served the USASBE community in countless ways over the years including being a steadfast and reliable leader behind the scenes at the annual conference, stepping up to chair the annual program awards process for the past 2 years and always bringing a smile and a word of encouragement to her peers throughout USASBE.
The Ray Smilor USASBE Volunteer of the Year is given to an individual who has provided exceptional service to USASBE over the last year. Dr. Ray Smilor is an award winning entrepreneurship educator, researcher and advocate as well as being an award winning entrepreneur. He is known for his work in global entrepreneurship and for his lifelong commitment to advancing the field of entrepreneurship education.
Longenecker Fellows
The 2026 Justin B. Longenecker Fellows were also inducted at the event. Dr. Erik Monsen, University of Vermont; Dr. Susana Santos, Florida State University; and Dr. Patrick J. Murphy, University of Alabama - Birmingham, earned the distinguished title of Longenecker Fellow that is given to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the development, furtherance, and benefit of small and medium businesses. The Longenecker Fellow designation recognizes the achievements of men and women whose passion and burning desire for small business and entrepreneurship is reflected in their teaching, writing, training, and public service.
Dr. Erik Monsen is the Grossman Endowed Chair at the University of Vermont. Erik's service to USASBE has been transformative. As the elected Chair of the Rural Entrepreneurship Special Interest Group (2024-2026), he has elevated rural entrepreneurship from a niche topic to a central pillar of USASBE's mission. Erik organized and hosted the inaugural USASBE Rural Entrepreneurship Symposium at UVM in June 2024 and this symposium has now become an annual keystone event, with subsequent symposia hosted at Iowa State University (2025) and planned for Colorado Mesa University (2026) and the University of Maine (2027).
Dr. Patrick J. Murphy is the Goodrich Endowed Chair and Full Professor in the Collat School of Business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), where he is Director of the Barefield Entrepreneurship Program. He has published over 50 works that include award-winning research articles, a scholarly book with Yale University Press, and popular pieces at Harvard Business Review. Dr. Murphy has built a career using the power of entrepreneurship scholarship to advance our field by serving people and communities. He is Historian of the Academy of Management’s Entrepreneurship Division and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development. His program also hosted the 2024 USASBE conference in Birmingham, Alabama.
Dr. Susana Santos is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at Florida State University. She is a passionate advocate of entrepreneurship, and particularly its potential as a source of empowerment among the poor, the disadvantaged, women, and others who confront unique obstacles in attempting to pursue and benefit from venture creation. She is a prolific researcher, having authored two books, edited five other books, and published over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals together with 13 book chapters. She is a leading expert when it comes to research at the poverty and entrepreneurship interface, and entrepreneurship under conditions of adversity. Notably, her work on how to extend the opportunity horizons of entrepreneurs, and particularly those from disadvantaged circumstances, reflects real thought leadership. In addition to her scholarly contributions, Susana is an outstanding educator, teaching novel courses and introducing a range of pedagogical innovations into the classroom. At USASBE, she has volunteered in numerous ways including co-editing the Annals of Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy as well as being a leader for the Doctoral Consortium.
“The USASBE Individual Awards and Longenecker Fellow inductions honor those who have been true entrepreneurial leaders to their peers, their programs and their global communities. As educators, these individuals often spend their time building others up to be recognized, so being able to showcase these individuals for their own outstanding achievements is a point of pride for USASBE,” said Jennifer Capps, USASBE CEO.
Mark your calendars for the 2027 USASBE conference, tentatively planned for February 10-13, 20276, in Louisville, Kentucky.
About USASBE
Founded in 1981, the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) is an inclusive community of educators, researchers, and entrepreneurs advancing entrepreneurship education through bold teaching, scholarship, and practice. Membership is open to all, as is attendance at USASBE’s hallmark annual conference. USASBE also publishes a peer-reviewed academic journal, Entrepreneurship Education and Pedagogy, and develops a variety of helpful resources and professional development opportunities for entrepreneurship educators as they create necessary change and positive impact. For more information, visit USASBE.org
Contact
Jennifer Capps
Email: jcapps at usasbe dot org
Phone: 708-462-2332