Rhett Weiss Appointed Executive Director of Johnson's Entrepreneurship & Innovation Institute

ITHACA, N.Y., Aug. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Rhett Weiss has joined the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management as the new executive director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute (EII). Weiss will lead EII, which was formally launched earlier this year, as it grows to become a hub for entrepreneurial research, education and programmatic activities. 

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"We are thrilled to have Rhett join EII," said Doug Stayman, associate dean for MBA Programs at Johnson.  "The formation of the institute marked an exciting milestone for the school and I am confident that Rhett will be able to maximize the institute's reach, connectivity and impact across its myriad stakeholders."

EII was established to build on Johnson's commitment to the greater Cornell University community and to work in consort with Entrepreneurship@Cornell.  The institute will enable students to easily connect to a powerful, well-organized, and dynamic network of teachers, researchers, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and innovative corporate leaders.

"I'm delighted to be joining the team at Johnson," said Weiss.  "Recent domestic and global economic conditions show us the critical need for entrepreneurship and innovation to be major focus areas at business schools.  EII will guide students who will start or lead the business ventures of tomorrow, work with faculty who will make key contributions to our knowledge of entrepreneurship and innovation, and engage with Cornell alumni and other stakeholders to build strategic relationships that foster the positive impact of these areas.  I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to help shape EII and advance its mission."

Formerly of Google Inc. and founder and CEO of Dealtek, Ltd., Weiss holds a BS from Tulane University, a JD from the College of William and Mary and an Executive Certificate in International Business from Georgetown University.  

About Johnson at Cornell University

Founded in 1946, the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management is consistently ranked as one of the top graduate schools of business.  Johnson builds upon Cornell's depth and breadth of distinguished research and teaching, and its vast, worldwide network of alumni, faculty, and colleagues. The school's "performance learning" approach offers students defined frameworks and analytical tools, combined with expert feedback to solve real problems in real organizations. Deliberately small and extremely selective,  Johnson maintains an intense, collaborative community, where students develop teamwork and networking skills that foster innovation and deliver results. Programs include one- and two-year MBA degrees, an Executive MBA and the Cornell-Queen's Executive MBA, which offers interactive videoconferencing sessions across the U.S. and Canada. For more about the Johnson at Cornell University please visit: www.johnson.cornell.edu.

SOURCE The Johnson School at Cornell University