Jordan Selected for National Enactus Summit

OBU junior Chelsea Jordan, a computer science and business management major from Shawnee, Okla., was among 35 Enactus students selected nationwide to attend the 2013 Partner Summit March 11-12 at Kraft Foods in Chicago. Jordan is the leader of OBU's Enactus team.

Enactus is a community of student, academic and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better more sustainable world. The group changed its name from the well-known Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) in September 2012.

During the summit, participants will interact with several top business leaders whose companies hire Enactus students. In addition to the multiple networking opportunities, the summit is designed to allow members to contribute insights on the strategic growth of Enactus United States, participate in roundtable discussions around relevant business topics with other executives and selected Enactus students, and to hear best practices on how companies are building win-win partnerships with Enactus.

"I want to participate in this event because it will give me the chance to network with members of the Enactus United States National Advisory Board and other representatives from partner companies," Jordan said. "I will also learn about new business practices and ways that I can implement them on my own team."

"This partner summit was only offered to 35 students in the whole country," she said. "There are 535 active teams in Enactus, with an average of probably 40 students per team. The fact that I was chosen for the event speaks volumes of the professors and the curriculum here at OBU. It is also very encouraging to know that my hard work and determination to be a better leader has paid off."

Jordan is the third OBU student selected to attend a summit this year; two freshmen were selected to attend the New York City summit in January. Dr. David Houghton, dean of the Dickinson College of Business, said the honor is rare, making it highly unusual for a university to have three representatives chosen during the same academic year.

"I started Enactus teams at two other universities," Houghton said. "In my 15 years with Enactus teams, I've never had three students selected in the same year to attend a partner summit. This speaks to the high quality of OBU students and the perception of the OBU team at Enactus headquarters."

Enactus maintains a long-standing commitment to using entrepreneurial action as a catalyst for progress. The organization was created almost 40 years ago believing the transformative power the entrepreneurial spirit can have in people's lives. The group pioneered a groundbreaking model that deploys student teams, with the advice and support of academic and business leaders, to design and implement community empowerment projects in 39 countries. Enactus reports that 57,000 students participate in creating projects each year.