Vicki Greene has been appointed director of the West Virginia University Women’s Business Center, to assist entrepreneurs across the state in all stages of business development, with a special focus on women-owned and managed businesses.

WVU’s Assistant Vice President of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Carrie White, expressed excitement for Greene to help entrepreneurs, particularly women, develop and grow their businesses. “Vicki has a great combination of experience and business knowledge,” White said. “She will be instrumental in moving forward small business growth and development in the state.”

Greene has 25 years of public and private sector work experience in management, marketing and public administration, in addition to an academic background in business practicum.

She earned her masters of public administration from WVU and a bachelor’s degree in business management from West Virginia Wesleyan. She has previously served as an adjunct professor of business management, small business management, and entrepreneurship at Fairmont University, Pierpont Community & Technical College and West Virginia Wesleyan.

The WBC, established in 2017, is organized under the WVU Research Corporation and managed under the Office of Academic Affairs.

Funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, the WBC currently offers a variety of resources to guide entrepreneurs through all the stages of business development, including business coaching, training sessions and special events designed to impart professional expertise to develop and grow successful West Virginia businesses. Greene aims to expand the WBC’s mission to support established women-owned and managed businesses in West Virginia.

“I am thrilled to work with entrepreneurs and innovators across West Virginia to help build their confidence and offer the services and resources to reach their goals,” said Greene. “The more we can do to especially empower women entrepreneurs to grow their businesses, build on their success and drive innovative ideas into local markets across the state, the more we can strengthen West Virginia’s innovation ecosystem for statewide growth and prosperity.”

The WVU Women’s Business Center is part of the WVU Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Applied Ecosystem, a university-wide web of centers, offices and programs that fosters and supports innovation and entrepreneurship among WVU students, faculty and staff while engaging the statewide community.

Other areas include IDEA Faculty Fellows, LaunchLab Network, Davis Young Innovators program, WVU Extension Service, Brickstreet Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Patent and Trademark Resource Center, Health Sciences Innovation Center, Legal Clinics, Media Innovation Center, Manufacturing Extension Partnership, the MakerLab and Technology Transfer.