Instigation Team

Dr. Sheryl Sleeva, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL)

Dr. Sleeva is an experienced practitioner and educator in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship, with an extensive career leading innovation, new venture development, and consulting in the technology, financial services and healthcare sectors.

As a successful corporate entrepreneur and business strategy executive, Sheryl has held key leadership roles at MasterCard, Cap Gemini and the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York. Prior to joining Gordon, she served as the Head of New Ventures at Digital Network Services, an industrial automation company focused on the “Internet-of-Things” and is a strategic advisor to several start-ups. She is also the founder of TeamCraftLabs, a consulting firm that helps organizations build and scale innovation as well as immersive learning capabilities.

As an educator and champion of workplace learning, Sheryl’s passion is equipping the next generation of leaders and building mentoring cultures where they can thrive and grow. Prior to coming to Gordon, she was an adjunct professor in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship at Iona University and was previously an instructor in the MBA program at Bethel University. She is a board advisor for TwoMentor, a high impact consultancy focused creating talent strategies for a diverse workforce and has served on the National Leadership Council for Priority Associates, the marketplace ministry arm for Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ). She has also served on the Board of Directors for the Girl Scouts of Connecticut, most recently as Board President.

From a research perspective, Sheryl is focused on studying the learning dynamics of innovation teams, virtual teaming, and the development of entrepreneurial ecosystems. She is the co-inventor of two patents and the author of several publications on innovation team learning and the future of work.

Sheryl received her doctorate from Columbia University in the area of organizational learning and leadership, her MBA from the University of Pennsylvania with a dual concentration in strategic management and marketing, and her BA in computer science from New York University.