Hazel O'Connor

Executive Director

Morris Entrepreneurship Centre
Northern Caribbean University

Biography
Contact her

hazel.oconner@ncu.edu.jm

Website

Partnership opportunities

The Morris Entrepreneurship Centre at Northern Caribbean University drives innovation and new business creation in central Jamaica. We are always seeking ways to collaborate and partner with international organisations, institutions and agencies to develop and offer programmes of mutual benefit in the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation and business. 

We have a number of business support programmes for entrepreneurs and small businesses and wish to identify innovative ways to enhance our programme offerings through collaboration and partnerships with international agencies.

The most recent projects include: Accelerator Programme, Small Farmers Digitalisation Programme, and the establishment of a Small Business Development Centre within the Morris Entrepreneurship Centre.

Our current focus is in the area of agriculture and innovation, agri-business and attracting youth to agriculture. Our goal is to learn from others, embrace their success stories, foster and encourage exchange programmes in agriculture and entrepreneurship.   Participating in ACE Louisiana is an opportunity to interconnect with like-minded professionals, share and discuss ideas and to initiate collaborations with our Louisiana host organisations and others directly.

Offer:
Knowledge sharing in the area of Entrepreneurship, Business Incubation, Acceleration Programme; Collaboration programmes for Research and Development, Training and knowledge transfer in Business Model Development and Validation.

Main areas of work:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Business creation and development
  • Agriculture
  • Youth
  • Gender inclusiveness

Nicole Griensewic

Executive Director

Region Nine Development Commission in Minnesota

Biografy:

Griensewic has served as Executive Director of Region Nine Development Commission since 2012. As executive director, Griensewic has made it a priority to foster collaboration and engagement by sharing Region Nine’s story both regionally and globally. Griensewic is an active board and committee member for multiple organizations throughout Minnesota. Griensewic is the immediate past President of the Greater Minnesota Partnership, and is the first female to chair the Executive Committee for the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies, where she served as chair of the Governance Committee. Griensewic also served as secretary of Lutheran Social Services of Minnesota’s Governing Board of Directors and chaired the Governance Committee and currently serves as an advisory board member for South Central College’s Center for Agriculture. She serves on the executive committee for the MACS Board, Minnesotans for the American Community Survey Board of Directors and represents the Midwest on the National Assoc. of Development Orgs.’s (NADO) Board of Directors.

Griensewic is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and has completed course work through Harvard’s Kennedy School’s Executive Education. She received the 2017 Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Her professional background includes extensive private sector and non-profit leadership experience.