Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center Director Scott Morris and student entrepreneur Jesse Frey were the latest guests on the Inside UMSL podcast.
Scott Morris spent 30 years in the corporate world, working primarily in private equity-owned businesses, when he decided to transition to the second act of his professional career.
“My hope was that I would have a second career with more significance, some something to give back,” Morris said. “I wanted to be a professor and work with students.”
That’s what led him to pursue his Doctor of Business Administration at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. But he never imagined he’d have the opportunity, after finishing his degree in 2023, to step immediately into the role of director of its Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center while serving as assistant teaching professor in the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship. In his position, Morris gets the chance to help equip students with critical skills they need for their futures while also supporting local entrepreneurs through his leadership of the UMSL Anchor Accelerator.
“It literally is a dream come true, where I get to work with students, which is what I was looking to do in the second half, but I also get to use that skill set and all those contacts that I developed over 30 years to help local businesses,” Morris said during his appearance on the latest episode of the Inside UMSL podcast. “I couldn’t be happier.”
Morris and student entrepreneur Jesse Frey, the creator of Headlok, joined host Nate Fleming on the podcast and talked about the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center and the ways its helps prepare students for business success through training, networking and mentorship.
A joint initiative of the Office of Admissions and University Marketing and Communications, Inside UMSL launched earlier this year and features interviews covering innovative teaching, groundbreaking research, exciting extracurricular opportunities, athletics and other campus initiatives. New episodes of the podcast are available monthly on the Inside UMSL podcast page or wherever you listen to podcasts.
