The Importance of Entrepreneurship Education with Henry Mack, Kiara Slaton and James Wilcox

We hope you enjoy this discussion with three entrepreneurship experts. You’ll get to hear from Kiara Slaton who is the Entrepreneur Educator from Palm Beach Gardens Community High School, James Wilcox who is the Director of the University of Southern Mississippi Center for Economic and Entrepreneurship Education, and Henry Mack who is Chancellor of the Florida Department of Education. You can learn more about all these guests in their bios below. Please enjoy this episode as they discuss their experiences and expertise about teaching entrepreneurship.

Kiara Slaton is a Doctoral Candidate and business Instructor, coming to public school education through her own education at Tulane, Lynn University, and St Thomas University -Miami.  She understands the importance of fostering entrepreneurship in young people.  An entrepreneur herself through her company She Hoops Elite Women’s Basketball Club, Slaton is personally familiar with the guiding principles of free enterprise as well as the requisite essentials of operating a business in today’s unrelenting economy.  She Hoops Elite is a community-based organization dedicated to providing a platform for experienced post-collegiate women basketball players to stay in the game. As a veteran teacher, Slaton, working closely with Karen Kummerlan, has pioneered the entrepreneurship program at Palm Beach Gardens Community High School.  For her students, Slaton stands as an example of how much can be accomplished by embracing her motto “Live Life . . . Lead Strong”.

James Wilcox is a native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and has served as the Director of The University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Economic and Entrepreneurship Education since 2011. Through his efforts to equip and support Mississippi educators in the subject areas of entrepreneurship, economics, and financial literacy, he impacts more than 30,000 K-12 students each year. Additionally, James co-teaches Hacking for Defense (H4D) at USM and is particularly recognized as the director of the Southern Entrepreneurship Program (SEP)–a grassroots statewide youth program that engages an additional 700+ high school students per year in startup methodologies through real-world business development experiences. He holds an M.S. in Economic Development and a B.S. in International Business, both from The University of Southern Mississippi.

Henry Mack currently serves as Chancellor at the Florida Department of Education, a position he has held since October 2019. As Chancellor, he leads the Division of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, overseeing all workforce education programs and economic development initiatives for the Department. The Division is responsible for all career and technical education programs across a system of 48 technical centers and colleges, 28 state community colleges, and K-12 public schools, with a combined enrollment of over 1 million students, annually. As Chancellor, he is also responsible for the state offices of apprenticeship, adult education, and articulation and career education policy. Recognized in 2019 as South Florida’s 40 under 40, Henry frequently lectures on the future of the workforce, entrepreneurship, and the value of a higher education. He currently lives in Tallahassee with his wife, Ashely, and his two young children Hadley and Holden.

More information about how Certiport can help you learn more about entrepreneurship:

https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/Entrepreneurship-And-Small-Business

https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/Blog/2021/March/How-to-Prioritize-Entrepreneurship-Education

More information about Certiport:

Get all the details about Certiport here: https://certiport.pearsonvue.com/

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