Our Team

Led by Founder & CEO Gary Schoeniger, ELI has assembled a team of entrepreneurial staff, contributors, and advisory board members who are dedicated to achieving our vision and mission.

Leadership

Gary Schoeniger

Founder & CEO

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Author and entrepreneur Gary Schoeniger has emerged as an internationally recognized thought leader in the field of entrepreneurial mindset education and training. Gary is the co-author of Who Owns the Ice House? Eight Life Lessons from an Unlikely Entrepreneur, an international bestseller described as “required reading for humanity.” Drawing from decades of research, Gary led the design and development of the original Ice House Entrepreneurship Program through a partnership with the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Gary has presented around the world, including at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, the European Commission, the U.S. State Department, and the Colombian Ministry of Education.

Gary is currently a member of the Forbes Business Council, the Dean’s Council at Purdue Polytechnic Institute, and an advisory council member for Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Tec21 model to produce graduates in Mexico with an entrepreneurial spirit and humanistic outlook for the 21st Century. Gary also served as a past board member for the Hershey Montessori School in Concord, Ohio. 

Download Gary’s Bio

Joanie Weber

Director of Training & Operations

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Director of Training & Operations Joanie Weber is responsible for coordinating ELI keynote, workshop, and training services as well as the oversight of ELI operations, human resources, and finances. Prior to joining ELI in 2014, Joanie earned her B.A. in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from Kent State University and served as a research intern for the Burton D. Morgan Foundation in Hudson, Ohio. She worked to gain a deeper understanding of business plan competitions, identify best practices, and review outcomes and impact through an in-depth review of objectives, processes, and structures.

During her time at ELI, she has completed Babson College’s Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators as well as an Essential Management Skills for Emerging Leaders Program through Harvard University’s Extension School.

Previously a volunteer for the Humane Society, Joanie now has two rescue dogs of her own, Cooper and Maizie. And, has become the standby dog sitter for traveling colleagues.

Nic Houle

Director of Client Engagement

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Director of Client Engagement Nic Houle provides support for client engagement, program implementation, and order fulfillment. Prior to joining ELI, Nic performed national service through AmeriCorps for two years, where he assisted with a healthy futures program in the city of Lansing, Michigan. In this role, Nic served a diverse community of residents, promoting healthy living through gardening and farming. Through this experience, Nic participated in community leadership trainings, service project event planning, and neighborhood resource development within the program.

With a degree in Comparative Cultures, Politics & Social Relations, Nic has served as a member of the nature stewardship team at Fenner Nature Center and as a volunteer with Michigan State Representative Theresa Abed to ensure all voices were heard in the state legislature.

Alexandria Fuller

Director of Information Technology

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Director of Information Technology Alex is responsible for managing the day-to-day technical and operational support of ELI’s Learning Management Systems, website, and decision-support systems. Prior to joining ELI, Alex earned her B.S. in Information Technology from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University where she was involved with numerous organizations, such as Epsilon Pi Tau and Alpha Kappa Mu Honor’s Society and Women in Science and Technology. She also participated in activities such as hackathons, innovation/project challenges, and research opportunities.

Alex recently completed her M.S. in Software Engineering at Kennesaw State University where she served temporarily as a Graduate Research Assistant. With starting this, she has worked with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an ORISE Research Participant.

Contributors

Advisory Board

Clifton Taulbert

Clifton Taulbert

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Clifton Taulbert’s inspiring life story and message of possibility have captivated audiences worldwide. From his humble beginnings in the deeply segregated South, Taulbert has risen to become the President and CEO of two successful companies: The Freemount Corporation and Roots Java Coffee.

Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Taulbert credits his success to the entrepreneurial spirit he learned from his Uncle Cleve Mormon, who owned the local Ice House. This early exposure to entrepreneurship sparked Taulbert’s drive to break barriers and pursue his dreams. He defied expectations by excelling in academics, the United States Air Force, and also earning multiple degrees, including a graduate degree in banking from the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University.

Throughout his journey, Taulbert’s mindset of embracing challenges and opportunities has been instrumental in his achievements. He played a pivotal role in the success of the “STAIRMASTER EXERCISE SYSTEM” and continues to push beyond predetermined boundaries. Taulbert’s life and work embody the belief that the impossible is possible.

Inspired by his Uncle Cleve and the concept of entrepreneurial thinking, Taulbert shares his experiences and the power of the growth mindset worldwide. Despite once being denied entry to a public library, he has authored fourteen books, with The Last Train North being a Pulitzer nominee. His first book, Once Upon A Time When We Were Colored, was even adapted into an acclaimed major motion picture.

Tony Wagner

Tony Wagner

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Tony Wagner currently serves as an Expert In Residence at Harvard University’s new Innovation Lab and as a Senior Research Fellow at the Learning Policy Institute. Tony’s previous work experience includes twelve years as a high school teacher, K-8 principal, university professor in teacher education, and founding executive director of Educators for Social Responsibility. Tony is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and a widely published author. His work includes numerous articles and six books including Most Likely To Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for The Innovation Era and Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World. Tony earned an M.A.T. and an Ed.D. at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Circular picture of Matt Lee from Baylor and Harvard

Matthew T. Lee, Ph.D.

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Matthew T. Lee, Ph.D., is Professor of the Social Sciences and Humanities at Baylor University. He is also a Research Associate and Director of the Human Flourishing Program’s Flourishing Network at Harvard University.  He serves on the Steering Board of the Humanistic Leadership Academy.  In addition, he is a member of the Global Flourishing Study research team, a Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Health, Flourishing, and Positive Psychology at Stony Brook University’s Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics, as well as a Visiting Scholar at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is a recipient of the Harvard University Certificate of Teaching Excellence and is a “Lifetime Community Engaged Scholar” at the EXL Center for Community Engaged Learning at the University of Akron.

He served as President of the North Central Sociological Association.  His research, teaching, and service focus on flourishing and well-being, benevolent service to others, and the integration of social science and the humanities.  His work has been published in journals such as the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the Journal of Positive PsychologySocial Science & Medicine, and the Journal of Transformative Education.

Milena Stoycheva

Milena Stoycheva

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Milena Stoycheva is the CEO of Junior Achievement Bulgaria and Visiting Professor with the EIT Digital Master School in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Entrepreneur and educator, she is passionate about the importance of education and the opportunity for young people to develop their talents and discover their future as entrepreneurs. Milena has served as the Chair of the Global Member Council of Junior Achievement Worldwide and Senior Adviser of Higher Education of Junior Achievement Europe. She was the first Dean of Students of the American University in Bulgaria following its establishment in 1991. Additionally, to having a few own ventures, she has served on the entrepreneurship and science core group of Intel Education Team in Europe; worked as a journalist with AP television; and mentored teams in different training programs on business development and technology entrepreneurship. She has degrees from Bulgarian and American universities.

David Galbenski

David Galbenski

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David Galbenski is an entrepreneur, lawyer, author and public speaker with global reach. His entrepreneurial achievements include being recognized as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner and a two-time recipient of the Inc. 500 award which celebrates the 500 fastest growing, private companies in the USA. David is a passionate supporter of building the next generation of entrepreneurs to innovate and create products and services that help to solve some of the world’s biggest issues. As the Global Chairman of The Entrepreneurs’ Organization in 2008/09, he helped fuel the entrepreneurial spirit in over 40 countries around the globe. David graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan Business School in 1990 and cum laude from Wayne State University Law School in 1993.