2014 Award Winner

Candida G. Brush

Candida G. Brush, Ph.D.

Chair, Entrepreneurship Division; Faculty Research Director, Arthur M. Blank Center for 
Entrepreneurship, and Franklin W. Olin Distinguished Professor in Entrepreneurship

Candida Brush is well known for her pioneering research in women’s entrepreneurship. She conducted the first and largest study of women entrepreneurs in the early 1980s, resulting in one of the earliest books on the topic. Her continued research catalyzed studies and dissertations worldwide. With four other researchers she founded the Diana Project, a research consortium investigating women’s access to growth capital internationally. With her four co-researchers, she was named the 2007 recipient of the FSF – Swedish Research Foundation International Award for Outstanding Research Contributions in the Field of Entrepreneurship. Prentice Hall-Financial Times published their book, Clearing the Hurdles: Women Building High Growth Businesses (2004). From this research, she co-edited two other books, Growth-Oriented Women Entrepreneurs and their Businesses: A Global Research Perspective in 2006, and Women’s Entrepreneurship and Growth Influences: An International Perspective, in 2010.

Brush’s research investigates resource acquisition, strategy and financing of new ventures. She is the author of more than 120 articles published in scholarly journals including Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Strategic Management Journal, Journal of Management Learning and Education, Academy of Management Executive, and Annals of Political and Social Science. For her research work, she was recognized in 2007 by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers as a 21st Century Entrepreneurship Scholar. Professor Brush’s research is often featured in noted popular media including the Wall Street Journal, Business Week on Line, the Boston Globe and Inc. She is a regular blogger on Forbes.com, and a frequent adviser to the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy on women’s entrepreneurship. Professor Brush served on the Board of Directors of the Center for Women’s Business Research, and the Executive Committee of Children Without Borders, a clinic in Costa Rica. She is a member of the Boston Harbor Angels investment group, serves on the board of many start-ups, and has coached and advised numerous start-up ventures.

Prior to joining Babson, Professor Brush was an Associate Professor of Strategy and Policy, Founder of the Council for Women’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership, and Research Director for the Entrepreneurial Management Institute at Boston University. Professor Brush had early entrepreneurial experience in the airline industry and small business consulting, and co-founded a land development company. She received her DBA from Boston University, an MBA from Boston College, and a BA from the University of Colorado.