The Excellence in Entrepreneurship & Innovation Award recognizes the HBCU business school that demonstrates outstanding achievement in fostering entrepreneurship, advancing innovation, and delivering impactful business education.

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The award is based on a comprehensive evaluation of five key criteria:

• Curriculum

• Research and Grants

• Community Outreach Activities

• Impact on Business Launches

• Collaboration Across Campus

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The award is presented to the HBCU business school whose dean demonstrates exceptional leadership in advancing these areas.

2026 Entrepreneurship & Innovation Award Recipient

Moorehead College of Business & Entrepreneurship,

Grambling State University​

Dr. Derrick V. Warren, Dean 

Dr. Derrick V. Warren's Bio

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Dr. Derrick V. Warren is not simply leading a college…he is engineering a movement. As Dean of the Thomas & Joyce Moorehead College of Business & Entrepreneurship at Grambling State University, Dr. Warren is redefining business education for an era shaped by artificial intelligence, global connectivity, and inclusive innovation. Under his leadership, the College has emerged as a bold model for the future of HBCU excellence. He played a key role in securing the historic $10 million Moorehead Foundation gift, the largest individual contribution in Grambling’s history, which established the university’s first named academic, degreegranting college.

Prior to academia, Dr. Warren spent more than three decades as a global executive at IBM, leading strategy and analytics initiatives across industries. His career bridges the boardroom and the classroom, combining corporate precision with academic vision. His philosophy is clear: opportunity must be democratized, innovation must be inclusive, and scholars must be prepared not merely to navigate the global economy, but to redefine it.

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Before joining Grambling, Dr. Warren served in leadership roles at Southern University, including Associate Dean in the College of Business. During his tenure, he helped strengthen industry partnerships, expand experiential learning opportunities, and contributed to securing a $30 million IBM technology investment for the Southern University System—an initiative that significantly enhanced digital infrastructure and student opportunity across the system. At Grambling, he is building a dynamic ecosystem of experiential learning and entrepreneurship through initiatives such as Golden Pitch, Bayou Business Bowl, BizTech, and the Dope Thinkers Only Conference. In just two years, students under his leadership have earned more than $120,000 in

awards through national pitch competitions, hackathons, and innovation challenges.

Dr. Warren is a national advocate for technological equity and inclusive innovation. His thought leadership has been featured through

a TED Talk and an appearance on IBM’s “Smart Talks,” alongside renowned author Malcolm Gladwell, where he contributed to conversations at the intersection of technology, leadership, and human potential. He has also

participated in Harvard Business School’s Teaching with Cases seminar for HBCU faculty, advancing inclusive pedagogy and case-method excellence. Dr. Warren holds a DBA from Georgia State University, an MBA from the University of South Florida, and a BS in Computer Science (cum laude) from Southern University and A&M College. A visionary builder and strategic storyteller, he leads with a defining charge: empowering scholars to define, design, and disrupt the future of business.