Mercer University Stetson-Hatcher School of Business Associate Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Dr. Briana Stenard has been named to the Atlanta Business Chronicle's Metro Atlanta 40 Under 40 list and Georgia Tech’s 40 Under 40 alumni class.

“I feel very honored and proud to receive these awards. This recognition means so much to me as someone who grew up in Atlanta and now gets the pleasure to work here,” said Dr. Stenard. “I am very fortunate to be working with amazing colleagues and students at Mercer! I’m proud of what I do to be able to help educate our future business leaders.”

The Atlanta Business Chronicle says their prestigious 40 Under 40 list recognizes Atlanta's best and brightest young professionals and emerging leaders who have distinguished themselves in their companies, their communities and their industries. The list is chosen by a panel from the Chronicle newsroom, the editor and publisher, and a group of 40 Under 40 alumni. This year, they had about 330 nominations.

Georgia Tech says their 40 under 40 alumni class honorees “achieve the impossible and impact every sector all around the globe.” More than 200 alumni from around the world were considered for the 2024 distinction. At Georgia Tech, Dr. Stenard earned her Ph.D. in strategic management with a focus on entrepreneurship.

Dr. Stenard was also this year’s recipient of Mercer’s Innovations in Teaching Award, which recognized her innovative teaching techniques that allow students to apply their knowledge in engaging and fun ways. The award annually recognizes the efforts of a Mercer undergraduate faculty member who successfully provides students with engaging learning opportunities inside and outside the classroom.

Dr. Stenard’s research focuses on the impacts of strategic human capital on entrepreneurial careers, and it has been published in top scholarly journals and featured in the Harvard Business Review and the London School of Economics Business Review. She is passionate about improving entrepreneurship education and has won multiple United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship awards for original experiential exercises created for her courses and the company she co-founded named Innovation Exercises.