Dear Colleagues,
What are the days of our entrepreneurial lives about?
For many of us, they are filled with developing cutting-edge curricula and pedagogical tools that cultivate entrepreneurial mindsets and capabilities. They involve producing rigorous, thought-provoking research that advances meaningful and insightful entrepreneurship knowledge. They also include leading impactful community initiatives that foster new business creation and growth and create real change in our communities. The 12th Annual California Entrepreneurship Educators Conference, taking place April 15 to 18, 2026, at San Diego State University, provides an opportunity to bring these efforts together, share experiences, and learn from colleagues from around the globe.
The Lavin Entrepreneurship Center warmly invites you to join this in-person conference, which will provide a collaborative and engaging space where entrepreneurship scholars, faculty, and educators can share research, explore innovative teaching approaches, and strengthen the impact of their work. Our goal is to foster rigorous scholarship while advancing practical, high-impact pedagogy that shapes the next generation of entrepreneurs.
We are honored to welcome two distinguished keynote speakers:
-
Dr. Roy Suddaby, Winspear Chair of Management at the University of Victoria, internationally recognized for his work on organizational theory, legitimacy, identity, and institutional change.
-
Dr. David L. Deeds, Schulze Chair in Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas and Co-Founder and Executive Editor of Entrepreneur and Innovation Exchange and FamilyBusiness.org, known for translating entrepreneurship research into accessible insights for educators, practitioners, and policymakers.
In addition, the conference will feature research and pedagogy presentation sessions, roundtables, workshops, and panel discussions covering themes such as:
-
Emerging research in entrepreneurship, including new business creation, innovation, ownership, governance, and growth in small and emerging enterprises
-
Evidence-based entrepreneurship pedagogy, including experiential and immersive learning approaches, venture incubation and acceleration models, social and sustainable entrepreneurship, family business and multigenerational enterprise, and entrepreneurial ecosystem development
-
Initiatives that advance venture creation, small business development, and inclusive economic opportunity in diverse and underserved communities
Across sessions, participants will engage with important questions about how entrepreneurship research, pedagogy, and practice can foster economic opportunity, organizational innovation, and broader community and societal progress.
If you are interested in presenting your work at the conference, please submit your proposal by February 27. We would be delighted to have you contribute to this dynamic and developmental community.
For additional details and registration information, please visit:
https://lavincenter.sdsu.edu/ceec
We look forward to welcoming you to San Diego for an inspiring CEEC 2026.
P.S. While this should not influence your scholarly decision-making, San Diego's average temperature in April is typically around 70°F / 21°C.
Best,
Mujtaba