During a recent meeting with Dean David M. Van Slyke, Ted Zoller ’88 M.P.A. reflected on his Maxwell School experience.

Zoller, founder of the global business intelligence firm CommonWeal and the T.W. Lewis Distinguished Clinical Scholar and Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, shared how Maxwell provided him with a systems-level understanding of how institutions function, how policies are shaped and how public value is created.

“But just as importantly, it revealed where traditional approaches fall short—and where entrepreneurial thinking can serve as a catalyst for renewal,” he later expanded.

These kinds of interactions are reaffirming for Van Slyke, but not unexpected. Since becoming dean in 2016, he has had plenty of similar conversations, gaining an up-close view of the vast number of alumni who, like Zoller, are entrepreneurs and innovators.

“I meet with hundreds of alumni each year and I am continually impressed, though no longer surprised, by how many tell me that Maxwell was a catalyst for their career paths, providing unique skills and experiences that enabled them to deftly navigate complex issues, build collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders, and conceive and implement data-driven strategies,” he said.

Indeed, Maxwell’s roughly 42,000 alumni worldwide includes an impressively long roster of business founders, chief executive officers, directors, nonprofit presidents and similar titles. Far too many to list, their roles span a wide range of fields in the private, public and nonprofit sectors.

Several are members of the school’s advisory board. Amma Felix ’01 M.P.A., seeks to narrow the educational opportunity gap for first-generation, low-income high school students in her role as president and CEO of Collegiate Directions Inc., for example.

Some have recently been featured in major media outlets for their success. Josh Aviv ’15 B.A. (Econ), appeared in Forbes this past December as the EV charging company he founded while still a student, SparkCharge, reported raising $59 million in investor support.

Still others have received recent accolades for their acumen and commitment to the school’s ideals of engaged citizenship. One of this year’s Awards of Excellence honorees, Tom Bozzuto ’71 M.P.A., has generously shared his time and expertise with a range of community organizations while serving as chairman and co-founder of the real estate development firm The Bozzuto Group.

According to Zoller, the kind of entrepreneurial mindset taught across disciplines at Maxwell, when fused with a commitment to public service, becomes a powerful force for innovation.

“In this fusion lies a hopeful path forward—where public entrepreneurship becomes not just a concept, but a calling,” he said.

By Jessica Youngman