UNC's Ted Zoller named to national entrepreneurship post

After serving only three years as a board member, UNC professor Ted Zoller has been named the next president of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Patrick Snyder, the executive director of the organization, said while Zoller’s service has been short, it has made a big impact.

“He was quickly elected to senior vice president of finance,” Snyder said. “The board fell in love with Ted because of his abilities.”

Zoller plans on spending his year as president, which begins in January 2016, placing practicing entrepreneurs in positions where they can teach.

“USASBE is an organization that has a mission to really push the frontiers of how we understand entrepreneurship," Zoller said. "And I am excited to help define the strategy to really expand our understanding in education and research around entrepreneurship."

Snyder said when talents like Zoller’s come around, they’re nearly impossible to ignore.

“If people see a diamond in the rough, and it starts to shine, it’s very tough to stay away. His leadership was very magnetic,” Snyder said.

Zoller himself was surprised about his selection.

“It’s nice to be recognized by your peers,” he said. “It was a real honor to be selected.”

Snyder said Zoller’s selection is made more impressive because of how academically intense the association is.

“It’s roughly 1,100 members, Ph.D. level, who teach entrepreneurship,” Snyder said. “That’s a pretty tough group and a pretty competitive group.”

Zoller plans on using his new position to accomplish his most pressing goals in the entrepreneurship arena.

“It gives me the opportunity to really influence the direction and frontiers in entrepreneurship education,” Zoller said. “I want to advance the interplay between practicing entrepreneurs and educators.”

As the director for the Center of Entrepreneurial Studies at UNC, Zoller has already been impacting entrepreneurs in a big way, said sophomore Jack Paley.

“He’s done a phenomenal job doing research on the entrepreneurial community,” Paley said.

Paley founded Aspen Crunch, a nutritional food company with a line of dehydrated nutritional snacks, in 2011 when he was only 16.

“When I was applying to colleges, I came by UNC, and Mr. Zoller was one of the first professors that I met,” Paley said. “He he has always been an extreme mentor of mine.”

Paley was not surprised to hear about Zoller’s latest accomplishment.

“He has nothing in mind other than how he can build the entrepreneurial community here,” Paley said. “He’s been really a guiding light behind the entrepreneurial force of what we do today.”

Zoller said his position will not interfere with his teaching or his availability to his students.

“Kenan-Flagler has been very supportive with my nomination and they’ll work with me throughout the year with the balance,” Zoller said. “I’m very dedicated to the community at Carolina and supporting entrepreneurial leaders and would never do anything that would take me away from that work.”

Snyder said he is confident Zoller will be effective as president despite his short history with the organization.

“Ted Zoller makes this organization more solid,” Snyder said. “He’s a tremendous leader.”

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