Department of Social Entrepreneurship
Faculty, Staff & Community Partners
Tonia Warnecke, PhD
George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Chair of Social Entrepreneurship, Professor, Director, Social Entrepreneurship
Kathleen W. Rollins Hall, #216
T. 407.691.1285
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
MA, University of Notre Dame
MPIA, University of Pittsburgh
BA, Rollins College
Areas of Specialization: International Development, Economics, Gender, and Social Entrepreneurship
Sample Courses Taught: Global Development Challenges & Opportunities; How to Change the World; Planning & Implementation for Social Entrepreneurship
Dr. Tonia Warnecke is George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Chair of Social Entrepreneurship, Professor, and Department Director (Social Entrepreneurship) at Rollins College. In Fall 2013, she was the Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in International Development Studies at McGill University.
Warnecke is an economist specializing in international development processes and policy. She teaches courses in Global Development, Globalization and Gender, and Social Entrepreneurship. As faculty advisor to the Rollins Microfinance Fund, Warnecke enjoys working with students to put social entrepreneurship into practice. She is also part of the strategic planning group for the Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship Hub at Rollins.
Warnecke's research is interdisciplinary and policy-oriented. Focusing on gender and development issues, including labor, finance, and social policy, she has published widely, collaborated with international policy-making organizations, and been recognized by several research grants and awards. As a development economist, Warnecke also has significant international experience; she studied in Hungary and Spain, worked in Montreal, and has traveled to more than 25 countries on 5 continents.
Latest Publications:
"Social Entrepreneurship in China: Driving Institutional Change"; "Social Innovation, Gender, and Technology: Bridging the Resource Gap"; "Working conditions of urban vendors in Indonesia: Lessons for labour law enforcement"
Book: Handbook of Research on Gender and Economic Life
Josie Balzac Arroyo, J.D., LL.M
Assistant Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
Kathleen W. Rollins Hall, #212
T. 407.646.2792
LLM, The George Washington University Law School
JD, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Law [Valedictorian]
BA, University of Central Florida
Areas of Specialization: Environmental Law, Law and Ethics, Sustainable Development, Community Engagement, and Climate Change
Sample Courses Taught: Strategies for Changemakers; Law & Ethics of Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship; Law & Environmental Sustainability
Prof. Josephine M. Balzac-Arroyo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Entrepreneurship. Professor Balzac-Arroyo is a licensed attorney admitted to practice in Florida and the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. While at Rollins she has received two teaching awards, a Student Government Association’s Outstanding Faculty Award and the Walter E. Barden Distinguished Teaching Award. She also received the 2017-2018 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Foundation Faculty Fellowship. In October 2017 Professor Balzac-Arroyo was recognized by U.S. Representative Darren Soto as a community leader as a part of Hispanic Heritage Month.
In 2017, she was appointed to serve on the City of Orlando, Mayor’s Green Works Task Force. She also serves her community as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for IDEAS For Us and the Legal Advisory Board for the Center for Earth Jurisprudence. In May 2017, FAMU College of Law presented her with the Distinguished Alumni Awards in Professional Excellence Award – Solo Practitioner.
While attending GWU Law, she served as a Randolph C. Shaw Research Fellow for the Associate Dean of Environmental Studies and interned at the Environmental Protection Agency. Her scholarly work focuses on corporate social responsibility, climate justice sustainable development, international trade, human rights, and environmental justice. She is also actively involved in the local community, frequently educating and advocating as an avid speaker on these same issues. She teaches courses in Law & Ethics of Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Strategies for Changemakers, and Social Entrepreneurship.
Walter Mswaka, PhD
Associate Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
Kathleen W. Rollins Hall, #214
T. 407.259.8799
Ph.D., University of Huddersfield, UK
MPhil, University of Huddersfield, UK
BA, University of Zimbabwe
Areas of Specialization: Social Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Finance, Business Strategy, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
Sample Courses Taught: Financing Social Entrepreneurship, Social Impact Reporting, Ethical Sourcing: People & Planet
Dr. Walter Mswaka is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Entrepreneurship. Mswaka has accumulated significant business experience across multiple continents. Originally from Zimbabwe, he taught a range of Social Entrepreneurship and Strategy courses for more than a decade at the University of Huddersfield in the United Kingdom. At Rollins, he teaches financing social entrepreneurship, social impact reporting, ethical sourcing/supply chain, and other courses in the Department of Social Entrepreneurship.
Mswaka’s background is in business creation and development. He has delivered a variety of interventions to promote the creation and development of sustainable social entrepreneurship practices in countries including the United Kingdom, Brazil, Zambia, and Ethiopia. These included promoting and managing cross-sectoral approaches to tackle some of the most intractable socio-economic challenges that communities face today.
Mswaka’s scholarship contributes to increased understanding of the nature and character of social enterprise. Over the past 10 years, he has undertaken considerable research on social enterprises in various socio-economic contexts and published papers in peer reviewed journals. He is currently working on collaborative research projects in Brazil, Ethiopia and Nepal, exploring the potential of social enterprise to address various forms of social, economic and environmental challenges through sustainable enterprising activities. The projects include (i) exploring the role of social enterprise in reducing recidivism in Brazil and (ii) supporting Ethiopian coffee marketing social enterprises in developing sustainable and innovative business models.
Sample publication:
Understanding social enterprises in the UK: the case of south Yorkshire
Chuck Nadd, MBA
Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
T. 407.706.2625
MBA, Harvard University
MPP, Harvard University
BS, West Point - United States Military Academy
Areas of Specialization: Entrepreneurial Finance, Start-ups
Sample Courses Taught: Financing Social Entrepreneurship
Chuck Nadd is a startup founder and military leader. He was born and raised in Central Florida. After graduating from West Point, he served as a US Army Aviator, commanding units, and flying Black Hawk helicopters and reconnaissance planes worldwide. He deployed twice to Afghanistan, flying nearly 500 combat hours, and continues to serve in the US Army Reserve.
He earned an MBA and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University before moving back home to Florida with his wife and three children. Today, Nadd serves as the founder and CEO of FlashCash, a payment platform startup that seeks to make payments frictionless and more accessible to all Americans. He and his wife Shannon also launched Operation American Dream, a non-profit that provides scholarships to the children of fallen first responders and military personnel. Nadd is passionate about empowering those around him to be the best possible version of themselves.
Timothy O'Brien, DBA
Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
E.D.B.A., Rollins College, Crummer Graduate School of BusinessM.M., Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI
BSBA, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI
Areas of Specialization: Digital Marketing, Non-Profit Social Media Marketing, Digital Strategy, Sales
Sample Courses Taught: Digital & Social Media Marketing, Crowdfunding, Social Entrepreneurship Marketing
Dr. Timothy O’Brien is a Marketing academic and practitioner. As an executive in Orlando, FL he has worked with both Fortune Enterprises and Startups to help improve their digital strategy.
Dr. O’Brien earned an Executive Doctorate in Business Administration from the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL. His primary research focus is within Entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing.
In addition to his academic and professional work he owns several small businesses including Once Upon a Child franchises. Dr. O’Brien resides in Winter Park, FL with his wife and two children.
Dan Prudhomme, MS
Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
407.212.7135
MS, The Robert Gordon University
BS, The Georgia Institute of Technology
Areas of Specialization: Integrated Digital Marketing, Sales & Business Development
Sample Courses Taught: Fundamentals for Digital Marketing; Social Media for Impact
Prof. Dan Prudhomme’s marketing expertise ranges from meeting with new partners to tackle unprecedented challenges to examining the shift to online retail and the role of fulfillment-focused tactics. His background includes client and agency-side sales and marketing in B2B and B2C. He has handled clients in the public and private sectors within digital, print, television, and radio. He was recognized as a Salesperson of the Year for his strategic business efforts with clients at the local, mid-market, and enterprise levels. Prudhomme is a strategic thinker who creates and implements the tactical elements for program goal achievement. The job gets done with all the right team members on board. He studied business and strategy at the Robert Gordon University and management and marketing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has his Digital Media Sales Certification (DMSC) from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).
Anna Szopa, PhD
Visiting Associate Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
Kathleen W. Rollins Hall, #210
T. 407.646.1809
Ph.D., Jagiellonian University, PolandM.Sc., Silesian University of Technology, Poland
B.Eng. (Bachelor of Engineering), Silesian University of Technology, Poland
Areas of Specialization: Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management, Technology Transfer, Economics, Assistive Technologies
Sample Courses Taught: Crowdfunding & Crowdsourcing, Technology Transfer, Financing Social Entrepreneurship
Dr. Anna Szopa is a Visiting Associate Professor in the Department of Social Entrepreneurship. She has twelve years of teaching experience, from extensive tutoring and individual mentoring to teaching courses in business, economics, entrepreneurship, innovation, and technology transfer. Originally from Poland, she has significant international teaching experience, having taught undergraduate, MBA/graduate, and doctorate courses in the United States, Poland, Israel, and the Czech Republic. Szopa has a passion for education and builds trusting relationships with students to create a safe, positive, and productive learning environment.
Szopa has been conducting research projects financed by American, European, and Asian foundations and has been working with international and interdisciplinary teams. She is co-editor of six books and published articles and book chapters about entrepreneurship, technology transfer, innovations, assistive technologies, crowdfunding, crowdsourcing, and new competencies in the era of digitalization.
Aycha Williams, MBA
Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
T 949.533.7585
MBA, University of San Francisco
BA, International Relations, Bilkent University, Turkey
Areas of Specialization: Social Entrepreneurship, Community Engagement, Corporate Wellness, Entrepreneurial Marketing, Corporate Marketing, and Sales
Sample Courses Taught: Social Entrepreneurship: Leading Change; Strategies for Changemakers; Sales & Negotiations for Social Entrepreneurship; Social Entrepreneurship Marketing
Prof. Aycha Williams is a serial entrepreneur, a Duke University trained change expert, and a National Board-certified Health & Wellness Coach at Orlando Health Coach in Maitland, FL. In addition to founding several successful companies, Willams served as a corporate marketing executive for almost two decades; leading change, targeting increased efficiency and productivity for cross-functional multi-level teams, for value creation and profitability. Currently, she works with small businesses and individuals, specializing in attainable change strategies for workplace wellness and employee well-being. She received her B.A. in International Relations from Bilkent University, Turkey and M.B.A. from the University of San Francisco, CA. She has served on the boards of and is an active member at various local nonprofit organizations, is a community volunteer and speaker at local colleges and other nonprofit establishments including the Woman’s Club of Winter Park where she conducts healthy living workshops for seniors.
Jovanna Heavener, M.B.A.
Adjunct Professor of Social Entrepreneurship
T. 407.694.4410
Executive MBA, University of Florida
BS, University of Central Florida
Areas of Specialization: Finance, Social Entrepreneurship, Impact Investing and Nonprofit Development/Management
Sample Courses Taught: Financing Social Entrepreneurship
Prof. Jovanna Heavener serves as CEO/Advisor of The Sayan Company, a for-hire CFO consulting company located in Winter Park, FL. Her company works with small to mid-sized businesses specializing in areas related to financial strategy, risk mitigation, and human resources. She also serves as Executive Director to The Heavener Foundation and The Heavener Family Foundation, both non-profit organizations which conduct educational research and provide grants to benefit higher education domestically and internationally. She received her B.S.B.A. in Finance from the University of Central Florida and her Executive MBA from the University of Florida. Her service to the community includes serving as a FL state certified Domestic Violence Advocate, Valencia Promise student mentor, and yoga instructor for Harbor House’s shelter residents.
Cecilia McInnis, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Social Entrepreneurship
Post Doc, University of Alabama
Ph.D., Southern Illinois University
MS, University of Florida
BS, Florida State University
Areas of Specialization: Entrepreneurial Marketing, Social Entrepreneurship, and Business, Innovation, & Entrepreneurial Thinking
Dr. Cecilia McInnis is Professor Emeritus of Social Entrepreneurship at Rollins College. Prior to teaching at Rollins College, McInnis was the E.B. Stephens (EBSCO) Chair of Marketing and former dean-partner for the Division of Business and Graduate Programs at Birmingham-Southern College.
McInnis's teaching experience at Rollins ranged from courses in Entrepreneurial Marketing and Social Entrepreneurship to Business, Innovation, & Entrepreneurial Thinking; she also created and led a summer program in Costa Rica for many years. McInnis enjoys supporting students’ passions to change the world by using business as a force for good. Her most recent scholarly work includes research on social entrepreneurship business models, indigenous entrepreneurship, and using reflective thinking to enhance business decision skills, cultural sensitivity, and teamwork. Additionally, her work has focused on blending liberal arts/liberal education with business, program assessment, teaching and curricular design in management education. Prior to her career in academe, she held executive positions in a Fortune 500 company, in major nonprofits, and served in the public sector.
Community Collaborators
Sarah Adomakoh
Founder & Principal, MarketWorks Global
Ron Ben-Zeev
Founder and CEO, World Housing Solution
Chris Castro
Director of Sustainability, City of Orlando
Board President, IDEAS for Us, Inc.
Julie Colombino
Founder and CEO, REBUILD Globally
Clayton Ferrara
Executive Director, IDEAS for Us, Inc.
Ben Hoyer
Co-Owner and Director, Downtown CREDO
Kyle Johnson
President & CEO, Lighthouse Central Florida
