Steve Markham Named Executive Director of NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Goodnight Distinguished Professor

This article was originally posted on Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost News on July 7, 2022.

Steve Markham, a professor in the Department of Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship within the Poole College of Management, has been appointed Executive Director of NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, effective July 1, following Senior Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship Tom Miller’s retirement. Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Warwick Arden and Senior Vice Provost for University Interdisciplinary Programs Rob Dunn made the announcement today. Markham will report directly to Senior Vice Provost Dunn.

On July 1, NC State Entrepreneurship became NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship to align with the university’s strategic plan, Wolfpack 2030: Powering the Extraordinary. As part of this shift, Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences will become a part of NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

“Steve has an extraordinary depth of experience in real-world entrepreneurship, but also in managing teams so as to promote entrepreneurship and innovation,” said Dunn. “He brings this experience to bear on the position, but also a lifelong interest in inspiring others in their own entrepreneurial journeys as well as a familiarity with NC State Entrepreneurship and Innovation and its great successes to date as well as its potential for expanded impact in the future.”

In this position, Markham will be responsible for providing strategic planning and management to support successful oversight and implementation of entrepreneurship and innovation throughout the university. He will work with administrators and units across campus to grow and support a university-wide culture of entrepreneurship, one that fosters and teaches innovation and entrepreneurship by providing resources and experiential learning opportunities for all students.

His work will be a key part of our broader efforts to train students who have a mix of disciplinary depth, interdisciplinary experiences and the entrepreneurial spirit necessary to make bold change.

“At NC State, we place a high value on innovation and entrepreneurship, as they are key components to preparing our students to compete in an increasingly globalized society. I know Steve shares this sentiment, and will do all he can to promote our prominence in these areas,” said Arden. “His work will be a key part of our broader efforts to train students who have a mix of disciplinary depth, interdisciplinary experiences and the entrepreneurial spirit necessary to make bold change. I also want to sincerely thank Senior Vice Provost Tom Miller, who was instrumental in making NC State a national model for entrepreneurship innovation and education, for his love of and decades of service to the university.”

NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship is a unit of the Office of University Interdisciplinary Programs, which provides leadership, direction and oversight for the programmatic planning and implementation of universitywide interdisciplinary programs and initiatives. NC State is ranked No.1 in the Southeast and No. 15 in the nation for both undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurship programs by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine for 2022.

“Since coming to NC State in 1992, I’ve had the privilege to help start and grow our entrepreneurial programs, primarily at the graduate level,” said Markham. “Following Tom Miller’s direction, I look forward to expanding my role to provide the vision and leadership to navigate this transition and help grow our programs to even greater heights.” 

Following Tom Miller’s direction, I look forward to expanding my role to provide the vision and leadership to navigate this transition and help grow our programs to even greater heights.

Markham’s research focuses on the roles and processes in the front end of technological innovation, concentrating on the role champions take in early commercial development of technology. He actively teaches in Poole College’s executive education and MBA programs in the areas of leadership, corporate culture, entrepreneurial analytics, innovation and technology commercialization. Markham has received and participated in 11 grants totaling nearly $2.5 million. He is directly involved in the Entrepreneurship Collaborative, which is based on a clinical research and teaching model that seamlessly integrates high-quality research, successful client service and exceptional education and is housed under NC State Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

He is a Certified New Product Development Professional, founder and past president of the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) Research Foundation, founder of the PDMA New Product Development Professional Certification Program, past PDMA officer and board member, past director of the Technology, Entrepreneurship and Commercialization (TEC) Program and past director of the Center for Innovation Management Studies at Poole College. 

Markham co-founded a number of technology-based startups and venture funding rounds including as co-founder of LipoScience that went public in 2013 and was acquired by LabCorp in 2015. He consults with numerous global corporations such as being co-founder and member of BP’s Innovation Board for thirteen years. Most recently Markham returned from a leave of absence where he served as Senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Portfolio for Toshiba’s Global Commerce Division.

Markham received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in social psychology from Brigham Young University. He received his MBA, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, from the University of California, Irvine, and his Ph.D. in organizational behavior and human resource management, with an emphasis in technology management, from Purdue University.

The professorship was made possible by a gift from longtime NC State supporters Dr. Jim and Mrs. Ann Goodnight.

The Goodnights are notable NC State alumni; Dr. Goodnight – the CEO and founder of SAS – earned his Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics in 1965, his Master of Science and doctorate in statistics in 1968 and 1972, respectively, and the university conferred an honorary degree to him in 2002. Ann Goodnight earned her B.A. in political science in 1968, works as the senior director of community relations at SAS and serves on the NC State Board of Trustees.

The Goodnights’ commitment to faculty excellence has resulted in the creation of 29 named endowed positions across several colleges at NC State as well as support for faculty funds.