Husband, Jim, daughter Kate Padberg and son Michael.
Current position/responsibilities:
Director for the Millikin's Center for Entrepreneurship and Coleman
Foundation Professor of Entrepreneurship. Responsible for the
outreach programs of the Center such as SCORE, First Step FastTrac
business ownership education for the community and youth
entrepreneurship initiatives. Responsible for the coordination and
implementation of the academic major and minor in entrepreneurship,
as well as teaching the capstone courses in entrepreneurship.
Why did you become so involved in the community:
I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with talented,
innovative and creative people who have great ideas and who are
working hard to make their organizations and business ventures
successful. Whether it is our students at Millikin or our
entrepreneurial business community, there is nothing more rewarding
than being able to add to their capacity to be successful.
What has been the greatest benefit you've realized from your
community involvement:
Being able to work with people who are excellent thinkers and who
are making a difference.
What would you tell others - especially young people - to
encourage their involvement in community groups/activities?
You can't grow if you only see what is on your own screen. You
can't improve, and you can't see how to improve the lives of
others, if you are not engaged in some kind of activity beyond your
own personal environment.
The person who has had the biggest influence on you and
why:
My father had a profound influence on my life because of his
ability to see how others enlarge and enrich our personal and
professional lives. He always saw the potential in people and
believed that knowledge and information would enable people to make
good decisions. He believed in unconditional forgiveness and never
carried a grudge.
What you still hope to accomplish:
Complete the endowment for the Center for Entrepreneurship.
