Odyssey: The Burton D. Morgan Foundation 2014 Annual Report

Abstract

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. An you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."- Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!In this verse, Dr. Seuss captures the true essence of the entrepreneurial journey, the overarching theme of our 2014 annual report. Our concept this year reflects Burt Morgan's boundless sense of adventure, a drive that took him to all corners of the globe spreading the spirit of entrepreneurship. We enjoyed our own mind-expanding journey in 2014 exploring new frontiers in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education. The wild ride of the past twelve months has taken us across the nation and at least virtually around the globe as we connected with entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ecosystems in places distant from Northeast Ohio. Our regional ecosystem performed with gusto as students found record succuss in national venture competitions, our collegiate programs garnered wide recognition, the NEO ecosystem restructured for greater effectiveness, and JumpStart-mentored ventures experienced healthy exits. We enthusiastically welcomed Angela Kwallek Evans and Emily Bean to the Foundation as new program officers and express tremendous gratitude to former staff members Leslie Nelson and Alison Burner for their major contributions to the vitality of our grant portfolios. We look forward with great anticipation to 2015 and all the places we will go!From the Road,Deborah D. HooverPresident & CE