ISSUED: 20 February 2026
MEDIA CONTACT: Hans Fogle

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV - Shepherd University is pleased to announce that Dr. Jennifer Flora has been appointed executive director of the Shepherd Entrepreneurship Research Corporation (SERC). Flora will assume the new role in addition to her current role as Executive Director of the Wellness Center and Entrepreneurial Initiatives.

Flora brings extensive leadership experience and academic preparation to SERC, which oversees numerous initiatives on campus, including the Bonnie and Bill Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications and the Agricultural Innovation Center at Tabler Farm.

Along with extensive leadership experience, Flora holds a Master of Business Administration, a Master of Arts in Organizational Communication, and a Doctorate in Executive Leadership. She is an accomplished grant writer and has worked closely with SERC in the past to develop external funding and institutional collaboration.

Flora succeeds Dr. Ben Martz, the dean of Shepherd's College of Business and Recreation, who played a role in founding SERC in 2018. Shepherd University appreciates Martz's strategic vision and leadership and looks forward to SERC's continued growth under Flora's direction.

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