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Biography

Dr. Siri A. Terjesen is Associate Dean, Research & External Relations, founding Executive Director of the Madden Center for Value Creation, and Phil Smith Professor of Entrepreneurship at FAU, and Professor .2 at the Norwegian School of Economics (Norges Handelshøyskole: NHH) in Bergen, Norway.

Dr. Terjesen is an internationally recognized expert in business, higher education and philanthropy, and is amongst the world's top 2% most cited scholars (Clarviate), with over 20,000 citations to her three books and over 90 peer-reviewed articles. She has been PI or co-PI on $7m in research grants and gifts over her career.

She was nominated by the U.S. President to serve as one of 15 voting directors to the National Board for Education Sciences (NBES) which advises the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences. Dr. Terjesen is a Strata board member and an advisory board member of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA)'s Fund for Academic Renewal.

She regularly reviews for the government higher education agencies in the U.S., European Union, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, and other nations as well as private foundations such as John Templeton and Rising Tide. She advises the World Bank, Kauffman Foundation, and a variety of think tanks on business policy issues.

Dr. Terjesen is an affiliated researcher with Catalyst (New York), Indiana University’s Institute for Development Strategies, and the Ratio Institute (Stockholm).

Dr. Terjesen has received outstanding teaching awards at undergraduate, graduate, and executive education levels including FAU College of Business’s most outstanding teacher, American University’s OFSL most outstanding faculty member, Indiana University’s Sauvain Undergraduate Professor of the Year, and Alpha Kappa Psi’s student-selected favorite professor awards. In 2023, she was named Florida Atlantic University Research Park Distinguished Researcher, one of two Distinguished Fellows by the Institute for Humane Studies, and one of ten Freedom and Opportunity Academic Prizewinners by Heritage Foundation. She was inducted as a Justin Longenecker Fellow, the highest honor from the U.S. Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE), in 2022, and as a member of the Mont Pelerin Society in 2021.

Dr. Terjesen has published in leading journals such as Academy of Management Review, Journal of Management, Journal of Operations Management, Business Ethics Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, Leadership Quarterly, and Strategic Management Journal. Her research is featured in international media including Bloomberg, U.S. News & World Report, the Times, and CNBC. Dr. Terjesen is current editor of Academy of Management Perspectives, Small Business Economics, Industry & Innovation, and Beta, and an editorial review member of Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, Leadership Quarterly, and Corporate Governance: International Review.

Prior to academia, Dr. Terjesen worked as a management consultant with Accenture in the U.S. and Germany. After overcoming severe scoliosis as a child, Dr. Terjesen competed internationally at marathon and ultramarathon distances, including as a member of the United States team to the 100km World Championships (6th place team). During her PhD and post-doc, Siri also ran for and captained the England and Queensland teams. She won over 40 marathons and ultramarathons around the world, including an individual bronze medal at the World 50km Championships. She and her husband Per (retired USAF Lt. Col.) have three children: Tor, Britt, and Finn, all of whom are involved in Scouting.

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