March 23, 2023
Yeager named Crisp Center interim director
The Miller School of Entrepreneurship announced today that Dr. Emily Yeager, assistant professor in ECU’s Department of Recreation Sciences, will serve as the interim director of the Crisp Small Business Resource Center. Yeager’s work focuses on rural community development, rural tourism, and small-town entrepreneurship. Since joining ECU in 2018 after completing her Ph.D. from the University of Georgia, she has built programs, attracted external funding, and engaged with regional community leaders. A couple of her current initiatives fit well within the scope of the Crisp Center, including the Tar-Pamlico Blue Economy Corridor, Building Rural Community Resilience, an investigation of tourism and recreation business owners in Pitt County, and a feasibility study of the Beaufort County Nature-Based Water Trail.
She replaces David Mayo, who served as the Crisp Center’s director for four years.
“With Emily’s academic background and familiarity with eastern North Carolina, the Crisp Center will have a strong and active interim leader who will continue to meet the region’s growing and dynamic needs,” said Dr. Dennis Barber III, acting director of the Miller School.
Under the leadership of David Mayo, the Crisp Center has seen many successes. The Crisp Center’s mission is to provide ECU’s students and community with the best practices and proven knowledge required to start and sustain enterprises in eastern North Carolina. It works to achieve its mission through faculty research relevant to rural enterprises, focused training, student engagement with small businesses through faculty-managed consulting, and relevant resource identification and dissemination. Some programs launched through the Crisp Center include Accelerate Rural NC, Start Teams, and the Faculty Alliance.
“With Dr. Yeager’s leadership in rural communities and business development, the Crisp Center will be in strong hands,” said Mayo. “I look forward to working with her as she shepherds the Crisp Center to future successes that impact eastern North Carolina.”
“The Miller School and COB leadership thank David for all of his efforts getting the Crisp Center operating at a high level in a short time,” said Barber. “We appreciate the foundation set by David and welcome the new ideas and approaches Dr. Yeager will bring,” said Barber.
Yeager’s interim appointment will last for one year.
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