Terri Lonier

Assistant Professor
Supervisor, Entrepreneurship

Biography

Terri Lonier’s passion for entrepreneurship has led her over the past 25 years to be recognized as one of the country’s leading experts in entrepreneurship and microbusiness. She brings deep experience as an artist, entrepreneur, teacher, and scholar to her role as an Assistant Professor and Program Supervisor of Entrepreneurship and Strategy in AEMM.

Prior to joining the Columbia College Chicago faculty in Fall 2010, Dr. Lonier led the strategy consulting firm Working Solo, Inc., which guided Fortune 100 and high-tech firms such as Apple, Microsoft, Bank of America, Visa USA, and HP in reaching the small business marketplace. A pioneer in the solo entrepreneurial movement, she is the author of five books, hundreds of articles, and three audio programs. Her classic entrepreneurial startup guide, Working Solo, was named "the #1 choice for solo entrepreneurs" in an Inc. magazine cover story and "the free agent's bible" by Fast Company magazine. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fortune, Business Week, Fast Company, Inc., and other publications, as well as on CNBC-TV and radio programs worldwide.

Dr. Lonier’s background in the arts includes an MFA from the University of Florida, as well as serving as Curator of Exhibitions at the Kohler Arts Center and as Executive Director of the Empire State Craft Alliance. Her ceramic sculptural works have been exhibited in shows and galleries throughout the Midwest and Southeast.

Dr. Lonier received her PhD from New York University in Business History, where she served as a MacCracken Fellow researching the history of entrepreneurialism, branding, and food marketing in the United States. Her current academic research centers on narrative and cognition – the cultural narratives of branding, the cognitive elements of entrepreneurial thinking and learning (particularly as reflected in Design Thinking), and the symbiotic relationship of Chicago culture and commerce.

Dr. Lonier is a frequent speaker at business conferences and events, and was honored as keynote speaker at the First International Conference for Women in Business in Tokyo, Japan. She also gives corporate presentations on how companies can use their business history as a narrative to build their brands.

Email: tlonier@colum.edu