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DSU’s Crawford and Hynson Receive Entrepreneur Ed Awards
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education recently honored Lillie Crawford, director of the Delaware Center for Enterprise Development (DCED), and Ms. Audrey Hynson, DCED program manager of the Food Business Incubation Center, with its Outstanding Entrepreneur Educators Award.
The awards – which was presented on March 1 at the 31st National Entrepreneurship Education FORUM – is given annually to individuals who make outstanding contributions in educating aspiring entrepreneurs.
The mission of the Delaware Center for Enterprise Development is to educate current and prospective entrepreneurs and enterprise managers through training programs, technical and managerial assistance and by providing access to capital. DCED works collaboratively with many organizations and partners with the First State Community Loan Fund and other support organizations in Delaware to provide a host of services to aspiring and start-up entrepreneurs.
According to Ronni Cohen of the Delaware Financial Literacy Institute (DFLI), Ms. Crawford and Ms. Hynson have been critical in helping the DFLI build statewide capacity through providing ample resources, programs and Money School classes in three counties. They are critical to promoting entrepreneurship across the state for Delawareans of all ages, from youth to senior citizens. Both women serve on the Advisory Committee for DFLI’s Center for Business Growth.
Both Ms. Crawford and Ms. Hynson have championed a program called “Open for Business”. These sessions feature open meetings offering resources, guidance and mentoring which are held monthly for new and emerging business owners. Last year DCED launched a mobile classroom to bring business support and resources to rural areas. DCED houses the first commercial kitchen incubator available for small businesses and startups in the state of Delaware.
Ms. Crawford and Ms. Hynson were also recognized for their leadership and instruction in the DCED’s Junior Entrepreneurs in Training (JET) Program, which is also based at DSU. The JET Program gives secondary schools students throughout Delaware an opportunity to explore entrepreneurship as a career option via experiential learning.
The two ladies were recognized by the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education for not only what they have created and delivered to others, but for how they have helped change the lives of students and aspiring entrepreneurs throughout the state of Delaware, according to the award officials.