The Allen W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business at Bowling Green State University announces the selection of Kurstyn Loeffler as the new director of the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership – a transformative move that is integral to the further development of the globally recognized center.
Loeffler steps into the role with a lifelong passion for and expertise in entrepreneurship. She has been involved in the world of entrepreneurship for nearly 20 years, managing a brick-and-mortar retail store after graduating college and then purchasing, owning and operating that business. Simultaneously, she worked as the assistant director of the Family Business Center at the University of Toledo, providing resources and educational opportunities to family and privately-held businesses within the community.
Loeffler holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toledo and a bachelor’s degree in business with a focus on human resources management from Ohio State University.
Loeffler is delighted to take the reins of the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and showcase her passion for entrepreneurship and lifelong learning within that role, at the university level and throughout the community. She stresses the importance of calculated risk and educated experimentation that’s vital to boundary-breaking entrepreneurial endeavors.
“It’s OK to not know immediately what you want to do; I didn’t know for a long time. In fact, I didn’t even know I was an entrepreneur until I was already an entrepreneur,” Loeffler said. “Through a lot of trial and error — and mistakes — I found a career I love. I’m excited to be a part of this center and help students learn the importance of entrepreneurship within every career and carve a path that they’ll love as well.”
Schmidthorst College of Business Dean Dr. Jennifer Percival hailed Loeffler’s addition to the center as an important step forward in the mission of providing BGSU business students with learning opportunities through vision, leadership and passion that challenges the status quo – all qualities Loeffler has embodied in her entrepreneurial career.
“We are so excited Kurstyn is joining us,” Percival said. “Her real-world experience as a leader, innovator and complex problem solver will help our students develop the skills needed to address global societal challenges through an entrepreneurial mindset fostered here at BGSU.”
Loeffler is married to her high school sweetheart and together they have two children, an 8-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son. She plays tennis in her free time and competed in the 2022 USTA League National Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona, this past October.
