Amy Whitney
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Director, Center for Innovation
- Business Model Development, Creative Problem Solving, Innovation Training, Entrepreneurship, Experiential Learning & High Impact Practices
Contact Info
- Email: amy.whitney@UND.edu
- Office: 701.777.6987
Office Address
Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center
4200 James Ray Drive Stop 8372
Grand Forks, ND 58202-8372
Biography
Dr. Amy A. Whitney is the Director of the UND Center for Innovation (CFI) at the University of North Dakota, where she leads one of the region's most dynamic business incubators. CFI fosters innovation and entrepreneurial activity among UND students and faculty, as well as North Dakotans, through high-impact applied learning and business coaching.
Under Dr. Whitney’s leadership, the CFI operates an 11,000-square-foot facility, providing essential space and services to help innovators advance their ideas. As a certified National NSF I-Corps instructor, she serves as the lead instructor for the Great Plains I-Corps Hub and has taught the UND Innovation by Design course, a program affiliated with the National Security Innovation Network. In Spring 2024, her Innovation by Design students collaborated with the North Dakota National Guard and the Department of Emergency Services to develop technology solutions for sensor communication, real-time data analysis, and integrated disaster response.
Before her role at UND, Dr. Whitney was the Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she spent seven years shaping curriculum, mentoring students, and driving business creation on campus and in the regional Worcester community. She also has a strong background in emergency services, as she served as a firefighter, EMT, and 911 dispatcher for over 20 years while living in Massachusetts.
Dr. Whitney's career began with leadership roles at Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), where she served as State Program Coordinator and Executive Director for the Greater Boston Chapter. She holds a bachelor’s degree in American Government and an MBA from Clark University, as well as a Doctorate in Education from Northeastern University.
In addition to her work at CFI, Dr. Whitney is a business consultant and draws on her early experiences helping manage her family's businesses.
Dr. Whitney teaches UNIV 401/501: Design Thinking for Social Innovation starting in Fall 2019 and will be the instructor of record for UNIV 410/510: Design Thinking Internship starting in Spring 2020. These four courses support the teaching, certification and experiential learning foundation of the Innovation Studio at the Center for Innovation.
Innovation, Creativity, Creative Problem Solving, Business Startup Consulting, Design Thinking, Experiential Entrepreneurship Education, Social Enterprise
Whitney, A.A.F. (2018). Developing creative problem solvers: A case study examining a high-impact social innovation fellowship program for undergraduate students. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from Proquest 13425517.
Bata, M., Cox-Lanyon, V., Davis, M., & Whitney, A. (2018). When a Student’s “Right to Fail” Harms the University Brand: How a Lack of Guidance in Experiential Learning Affects University–Organization Relationships. Journal of Management Education.
Bata, M. & Whitney, A. (2015). Using Inquiry-Based Learning Outside of the Classroom: How Opportunities for Effective Practice Can Animate Course-Based Learning, in Patrick Blessinger , John M. Carfora (ed.) Inquiry-Based Learning for Multidisciplinary Programs: A Conceptual and Practical Resource for Educators (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Volume 3) Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.233 - 252.
National Science Foundation (NSF) National I-Corps Instructor
Ed.D, Organizational Leadership
Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Dissertation title: Developing Creative Problem Solvers: A Case Study Examining a High-Impact Social Innovation Fellowship Program for Undergraduate Students
Masters in Business Administration (MBA)
Clark University, Worcester, MA
BA American Government
Clark University, Worcester, MA