Chaifetz School of Business Announces 2024-2025 Chaifetz Fellows Cohort

The 2024-2025 academic year will see the 17th cohort of Chaifetz Fellows across the Saint Louis University campus. The Chaifetz Fellows promote entrepreneurship education and programming across the SLU campus. More than 100 undergraduate and 100 graduate courses across the SLU campus have embedded entrepreneurship skills, one of the highest numbers in the nation, according to The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine.

Madi Babaiasl, Ph.D., is this year's only new Chaifetz Fellow, coming from the School of Science and Engineering. The assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering plans to integrate entrepreneurship into the curriculum through the Product Launch in Mechatronics capstone project. Babaiasl will receive a $2,500 grant to develop and deploy this permanent element of her class.

This brings the total number of fellows to 46 across 20 departments. Including the KEEN and Chaifetz Fellows, SLU has more than 100 faculty involved in entrepreneurship education, a major factor in SLU’s top national rankings in graduate and undergraduate entrepreneurship.

In addition, eight veteran fellows (grant recipients from prior years) will receive $1,000 grants to reinforce and expand their existing work, infusing their classes with entrepreneurial ideas and skills. For 2024-2025, the veteran fellow recipients are:

• Danahe Marmolejo (aerospace and mechanical engineering, fellow since 2023)
• Jin Huang (social work, fellow since 2019)
• Katie Devany (leadership and organizational behavior, fellow since 2016)
• Dan Brewer (nutrition and dietetics, fellow since 2013)
• Sri Condoor (aerospace and mechanical engineering, fellow since 2009)
• Dannielle Davis (higher education, fellow since 2017)
• Srikanth Gururajan (aerospace engineering, fellow since 2017)
• Scott Sell (biomedical engineering, Fellow since 2016)

The Office of the Dean of the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business supports the Chaifetz Fellows program. The program was initiated as the Coleman Fellows with funding from the Coleman Foundation of Chicago. The Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship manages the Chaifetz Fellows program.

Founded in 1987, the Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship is known for its innovative approach to entrepreneurship. We have been a national leader in developing and delivering innovative high school, college and community programs to promote entrepreneurship through education. Our nationally ranked programs promote economic growth by encompassing passion, compassion, planning and performance.

Founded in 1910, the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University has shaped the future of industry for more than a century. As one of the oldest business schools west of the Mississippi, the Chaifetz School has built a reputation as a leader in business education with eight undergraduate and graduate programs nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report.