New director of Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership brings decades of real-world experience, passion for lifelong learning to role

The Allen W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business at Bowling Green State University is pleased to announce the selection of Kurstyn Loeffler as the new director of the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership – a transformative move that is integral to the further development of the globally recognized center.  

Loeffler steps into the role with a lifelong passion for and expertise in entrepreneurship. She has been involved in the world of entrepreneurship for nearly 20 years, managing a brick-and-mortar retail store after graduating college and then purchasing, owning and operating that business. Simultaneously, she worked as the assistant director of the Family Business Center at the University of Toledo, providing resources and educational opportunities to family and privately-held businesses within the community. Loeffler has an MBA from the University of Toledo and a bachelor's degree in business with a focus on human resources management from Ohio State University.

Loeffler is delighted to take the reins of the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership and showcase her passion for entrepreneurship and lifelong learning within that role, at the University level and throughout the community. She stresses the importance of calculated risk and educated experimentation that’s vital to boundary-breaking entrepreneurial endeavors.  

“It’s OK to not know immediately what you want to do; I didn’t know for a long time. In fact, I didn’t even know I was an entrepreneur until I was already an entrepreneur,” Loeffler said. “Through a lot of trial and error -- and mistakes -- I found a career I love. I’m excited to be a part of this center and help students learn the importance of entrepreneurship within every career and carve a path that they’ll love as well.” 

Schmidthorst College of Business Dean Jennifer Percival hailed Loeffler’s addition to the center as an important step forward in the mission of providing BGSU business students with learning opportunities through vision, leadership and passion that challenges the status quo – all qualities Loeffler has embodied in her entrepreneurial career.  

“We are so excited Kurstyn is joining us,” Percival said. “Her real-world experience as a leader, innovator and complex problem solver will help our students develop the skills needed to address global societal challenges through an entrepreneurial mindset fostered here at BGSU.“ 

Loeffler is married to her high school sweetheart and together they have two children, an 8-year-old daughter and a 6-year-old son. She plays tennis in her free time and competed in the 2022 USTA League National Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona, this past October. 

About the Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership

The Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in the Schmidthorst College of Business at Bowling Green State University is one of 20 centers worldwide recognized by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). 

It is also Northwest Ohio's premier resource for entrepreneurial education, featuring a weeklong Entrepreneurship Week (E-Week) each April. E-Week brings entrepreneurial leaders from around the country to campus. 

E-Week, April 11-14, 2023, includes The Hatch event, which is similar in format to the television show "Shark Tank" and is touted as a best-in-class practice program where BGSU students known as “Hatchlings” pitch their business ideas to alumni investors. To date, more than $600,000 has been invested to support student businesses.   

BGSU alumni also have the opportunity to incubate their business ideas. The Paul J. Hooker Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership has expanded its incubation program to assist BGSU alumni through funds generously donated by alumni over the years. 

The Center promotes the entrepreneurship minor offered through the Schmidthorst College of Business and has more than 650 students enrolled in the minor each year. The entrepreneurship program at BGSU is ranked in the top 3% of universities in the country. 

In addition to college courses, the Center offers a high school curriculum focusing on entrepreneurship to teachers and promotes entrepreneurship throughout the world through speaking engagements and programming. 

About the Allen W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business

Ranked among the top business programs by Poets&Quants, U.S. News and World Report, the Princeton Review and Bloomberg Businessweek, the AACSB-accredited Allen W. and Carol M. Schmidthorst College of Business is where careers begin. It's more than rankings: it's how, and what, our students learn.  

Led by faculty paving the way for business innovation through cutting-edge research, students develop real-world business skills and an understanding of the global marketplace through interactive learning programs and internships. Our graduates are sought after and highly marketable. The proof is in the numbers: 

• Ranked #32 - Best Public Undergraduate Business Program (Poets&Quants) 
• 94% of graduates have a job within 6 months 
• $54K average starting salary for graduates