Author and Entrepreneur Gary Schoeniger is an internationally recognized thought leader in the field of entrepreneurial mindset education. His message has influenced a broad audience from academic institutions and economic development organizations to government and non-profit clients worldwide, including the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Cisco Entrepreneur Institute, the Colombian Ministry of Education, the U.S. State Department, and the European Commission. In addition to his latest book, The Entrepreneurial Mindset Advantage, Schoeniger, along with Pulitzer nominee Clifton Taulbert, is also 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.”
As the Founder and CEO of the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative, Gary led the development of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program, which has been recognized by the Kauffman Foundation as “redefining entrepreneurship education in classrooms and communities around the world.” The Ice House Program has been featured at the United Nations General Assembly, the Papal Council for Peace and Justice at the Vatican, and the European Commission in Brussels.
With his focus on the entrepreneurial mindset, Gary has presented numerous keynotes, workshops, and training programs throughout the U.S. and abroad, including the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Rio de Janeiro and Moscow as well as speaking and training programs in Cape Town, Yaoundé, Athens, London, Bogota, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Monterrey, Sofia, Santiago, Aberdeen, Nicosia, Zagreb, Tbilisi, and Baku.
Gary is a former member of the Forbes Business Council, where he published several articles highlighting the entrepreneurial mindset. He also served on the Dean’s Council at Purdue Polytechnic Institute, and was 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.
“ELI’s workshops were some of the most eye-opening learning experiences I have encountered. Their strong message on a redefined approach to entrepreneurship made an everlasting impact.”
– Ramina Murshudova, Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy, Baku
“Not only was Gary’s message about grassroots entrepreneurship engaging and infectious, it is perhaps the most needed approach for getting the US economy and the developing world on track by fostering bottom-up solutions that empower people to take charge of their lives and boost their local economies.”
– Steven Van Yoder, Global Entrepreneurship Congress