2025 CEC Keynote and Capnote

Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Supporting Small For Greater Impact

Gustavo Ustariz is the Senior Manager for Entrepreneurship & Small Business Support for Main Street America. Gustavo collaborates with external partners and network stakeholders to design, lead implementation of, manage, and monitor Main Street America’s suite of entrepreneurial support and ecosystem building programs intended to build more resilient business models and local economies.

Also Speaking – Julie Lyon, Thinking Like an Entrepreneur

Building Connections to Strengthen Entrepreneurs

With a passion for supporting and strengthening the people of land-grant institutions, Dr. Marshall Stewart is a nationally recognized leader in higher education and university stakeholder engagement. Stewart joined Kansas State University in January 2023 and now serves as the universities’ first executive vice president for external engagement and chief of staff. Stewart is working to facilitate strategic initiatives and partnerships and is the driving force behind university-wide engagement efforts that enhance economic impact in Kansas communities. He believes the most successful entrepreneurs are the most connected.

Also Speaking – Scott Mueller, Being an Entrepreneur in Rural Kansas