Johnetta Hardy is an award-winning entrepreneur, nationally recognized leader in entrepreneurship education, and the founding Executive Director of Bowie State University’s Entrepreneurship Innovation Center (EIC). With more than 30 years of experience, she has built and led entrepreneurial ecosystems that empower students, faculty, and communities to transform innovative ideas into impactful ventures.

Under her leadership, the EIC has earned national recognition, including being named a finalist for the 2026 USASBE Excellence in Co-Curricular Innovation Award and receiving the 2024 Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers Outstanding Emerging Center Highly Commended Award. Johnetta is also the recipient of the Howard University/PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship Legacy Award and the Black Door Society Legacy in Entrepreneurship and Leadership Award.

Johnetta is the founder and chair of the nationally recognized HBCU+ Entrepreneurship Conference, a premier platform that convenes students, educators, innovators, investors, and industry leaders to advance entrepreneurship and innovation across HBCUs. Throughout her career, she has led entrepreneurship centers at Bowie State University, Howard University, and the University of Baltimore, launched four companies, and mentored more than 3,000 entrepreneurs.

A two-time recipient of Maryland’s Top 100 Women Award, Johnetta serves on national entrepreneurship advisory boards and holds degrees from Howard University, along with executive education credentials from Harvard Business School Online and Babson College. She remains passionate about expanding economic opportunity, fostering innovation, and positioning HBCUs as powerful engines of entrepreneurship and wealth creation.