Faith Knutsen, MA

Knutsen is the Director of Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service, where she is employed since 2008.  She directs the Social Enterprise Ecosystem program, bringing venture development services and capital access to social enterprises in rural Southeast Ohio and contiguous states. Knutsen is a member of four social enterprise Boards, including the Marietta College Entrepreneurship Advisory Board and several performing arts enterprises.  As a part of her Board volunteerism, she has served on numerous executive committees and in all key Board executive roles (President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary).

She is the family representative to the Beale Legacy donor-advised fund with the Athens County Foundation, and has had the privilege of supporting, through this funding, multiple budding social enterprises and carbon-footprint-reduction concepts.  She is a co-founder of, and annual judge for, the tri-State ‘Dare To Dream’ high school pitch competition, which in 2020 (its seventh year) awarded over $30,000 in locally-donated prize money to 14 winning high school student teams from a pool of 60– a highly impactful event that underscores the role of entrepreneurship training as a pathway to multiple different career options for rural youth. 

She has served since 2009 as an Analyst for, and is a periodic speaker for, the NYC-based Intelligent Communities Forum, which makes an annual award to the highly competitive Most Intelligent Global Community competition. 

Knutsen also lectures at OHIO and to community and civic organizations on social enterprise, entrepreneurial ecosystem development, venture development toolkits, and grantwriting.  Previously, she held an executive administrative role at Sunpower, Inc., an engineering R&D firm.  She began her professional career as a Peace Corps Volunteer in central Africa and serves as a periodic consultant in African nations. She holds a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College and a master's degree from Ohio University, and was one of Ohio University’s 2018 Outstanding Administrator awardees.