About the Authors
Thom Ruhe
Thom Ruhe is director of Entrepreneurship for the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
In addition to guiding the online translation of various foundation programs, he manages a joint venture between the Foundation and the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce focused on leveraging America’s entrepreneurial leadership to advance national and global economic growth; www.entrepreneurship.ORG & .GOV.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Ruhe was the founding chief marketing officer for JumpStart, a nonprofit economic development organization created to accelerate the growth of high-potential, early stage companies in Northeast Ohio. Formerly, Ruhe was president of Optiem LLC, where he led the growth of a nascent marketing practice to a nationally recognized interactive marketing, communications and public relations agency.
Earlier in his career, Ruhe held positions in technology integration, marketing, finance, sales, and management. His experience spans several entrepreneurial endeavors as well as working with Fortune 500 companies. Ruhe serves on the board of directors of the Holden Arboretum, the nation’s largest arboreta. He earned his bachelor’s degree in management information systems at Bowling Green State University, where he was the recipient of a U.S. Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps scholarship.
Lesa Mitchell
Lesa Mitchell is a vice president with the Kauffman Foundation. She has been responsible for the Foundation’s frontier work in understanding the policy levers that influence the advancement of innovation from universities into the commercial market and the new relationships between disease philanthropy and for profit companies.
Under Mitchell’s leadership, the Foundation is defining and codifying alternative commercialization pathways, and identifying new models to foster innovation. Mitchell was instrumental in the founding of the Kauffman Innovation Network/ iBridge Network, the Translational Medicine Alliance, the National Academies-based University–Industry Partnership and leader in the replication of innovator-based mentor programs across the U.S. In addition, Mitchell serves on the boards of Gazelle Growth in Denmark, the University of Kansas Institute for Commercialization and is an advisor to the Institute for Pediatric Innovation.
Prior to joining Kauffman, Mitchell spent twenty years of her career in global executive roles at Aventis, Quintiles, and Marion Laboratories and ran an electronic clinical trials consulting business in support of global pharmaceutical clients.
Gary Schoeniger
After more than ten years of studying, teaching and working with innovators and entrepreneurs, Gary Schoeniger has become an emerging thought leader in the field of entrepreneurship education.
"As an entrepreneur and lifelong advocate, I have long been fascinated with the mindset of successful entrepreneurs -- the underlying characteristics and practical skills that enable them to recognize opportunities, manage risks and marshal the resources that enable them to transform their ideas into successful new ventures."
Mr. Schoeniger is the Founder and CEO of The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, (ELI) an organization dedicated to providing interactive real-world entrepreneurship education programs for individuals and organizations worldwide. Their mission is to create inspired learning programs that deliver real-world impact.
Launched in 2007 after an initial pilot project, their first program was created exclusively for the Cisco Entrepreneurship Institute and is currently being distributed throughout Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia. Mr. Schoeniger and his team have since conducted more than 200 hours of on-camera interviews with successful entrepreneurs throughout the US. Their recently released course - Mindset: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial IQ is now being offered through a scholarship program funded by Kauffman Foundation, with students currently enrolled in 23 countries. Mr. Schoeniger is also the creator of The Entrepreneurial Learning Series, an interactive distance-learning program he developed through a partnership with WVIZ/PBS in Cleveland, Ohio.
Mr. Schoeniger currently serves on several boards including The Ohio Department of Education Entrepreneurship Coalition and The Entrepreneur’s Club of America. He has also certified by the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship.
Prior to launching ELI, Mr. Schoeniger co founded Woodman - Schoeniger Inc, a high-end residential construction management firm based in NE Ohio.
Cameron Cushman
Cameron Cushman is a Senior Analyst at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation where he leads the Office of the President and works closely with the President and CEO, Carl Schramm. In this capacity, Cushman directs the Foundation’s efforts to educate policymakers about the importance of entrepreneurs as job creators. He also serves as a grant officer, program manager, writer and event planner for the president’s office.
Prior to joining Kauffman, Cushman spent six years working in Washington, most recently serving in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Market Access and Compliance division of the International Trade Administration. At Commerce, Cushman worked to expedite trade along the U.S.–Mexico border and quantify the cost of non-tariff barriers on American exports. He also led the Program for Entrepreneurial Growth that sought to increase economic growth through entrepreneurship in four emerging countries. This initiative was designed to spur high-growth entrepreneurship by hosting government sponsored events on the topic and through the development of an online resource center for entrepreneurs at www.entrepreneurship.gov. Prior to joining the Department of Commerce, Cushman served in the Domestic Policy Council and the Office of Presidential Correspondence at The White House.
Cushman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science with minors in history and journalism from Texas A&M University. He also holds a Certificate of Advanced International Affairs from the George Bush School of Government and Public Service.
