In this session we explore how entrepreneurial thinking can enhance our work and our innovation in all corners of DePaul. We will share ways to inject innovation, creative problem-solving, and forward-thinking into our work across all disciplines. Entrepreneurial thinking focuses on recognizing opportunities, creative thinking, taking calculated risks, adapting quickly when conditions change, and embracing innovation.

Panelist:
Bruce Leech
Senior Instructor, Director of the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center
Driehaus College of Business

Bruce Leech leads the Coleman Entrepreneurship at DePaul, which helps students and alumni develop their entrepreneurial skills, launch and grow ventures, and network with Chicago’s vibrant entrepreneur community. The center’s robust programming encompasses workshops, speakers and entrepreneurship competitions, as well as DePaul’s memberships in local business incubators, including 1871, Chicago’s premier business and technology start-up hub. As a faculty member, he teaches courses in strategic entrepreneurship and business plan development. An experienced entrepreneur, Leech is the founder of CrossCom National, an information technology data/voice company, and co-founder of Evolve USA, a membership organization for business owners. He has been inducted into the Chicago Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. Leech earned an MBA in finance from DePaul and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Michigan State University. He completed the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Panelist:
John Milbauer
Dean
School of Music

John Milbauer is a Steinway Artist whose career blends experience as performer, educator, and policy leader in higher education and the arts. Prior to his appointment at DePaul he was Professor of Piano and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs at the University of Arizona, and Co-Chair of the Chautauqua Institution Piano Program in New York.

Milbauer studied music, classics, and government at Harvard College before earning degrees from the Eastman School of Music, The Juilliard School, Manhattan School of Music, and, as recipient of a Fulbright grant, the Liszt Academy in Budapest.  He returned to school in 2019-20 as a John F. Kennedy Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government under the guidance of Prof. Ron Heifetz, Co-Founder of Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership.

Milbauer has performed on four continents as soloist and chamber musician. Highlights include Ravel’s Concerto in G with the Boston Pops, Poulenc’s Aubade with San Diego Winds, residencies with several Conservatorios Nacionales Superiores in Spain, and a recital tour of major cities in China.

Panelist:
Margaret Poncin Reeves
Senior Professional Lecturer
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Margaret Poncin Reeves is a Teaching Professor in the Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse Department. She is the recipient of the LAS Excellence in Teaching Award and the Thomas and Carol Dammrich Faculty Innovation Award. Her research and teaching interests include writing with AI and AI-related pedagogy, learning transfer, and multilingual and digital composition.

Session Chair and Moderator:
Gabriella Bucci
Associate Professor and Director, MS in Economics and Quantitative Analysis Program
Driehaus College of Business

Gabriella Bucci is an Associate Professor and Director of the MS in Economics and Quantitative Analysis in the Department of Economics in Driehaus College of Business. She has a diverse background in economics including academia and the federal government. Gabriella is a dedicated educator, a two-time winner of the Gus Economos Graduate Teaching Award and winner of the QIC Excellence in Teaching Award. She has conducted research on immigration, internal migration, and the impacts of workplace monitoring on employees.

Table Moderators

James Bort, Driehaus College of Business
Kathryn Grant, College of Science and Health
Luis Jimenez-Castillo, Driehaus College of Business
Jess Klass, Jarvis College of Computing and Digital Media
Helen LaVan, Driehaus College of Business
James Moore, Driehaus College of Business
Kashica Webber-Ritchey, College of Science and Health
Alyssa Westring, Driehaus College of Business