Mo Collins is the Founder of Entrepreneurial Communities, a consultancy supporting forward-thinking communities interested in locally owned business startup, scaleup and expansion. Entrepreneurial Communities delivers custom research into local ecosystems through surveys, interviews and data analysis, and provides training, town meetings, roundtables, and individual support to community leaders and their teams concerning entrepreneurship economic development.

Mo is well known in the economic development education field. She developed and delivers the entrepreneurship curriculum for OU-EDI. She is actively engaged with the International Economic Development Council and multiple universities providing training and community technical assistance on topics associated with technology-led economic development, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.

Collins held progressive, senior-level roles at the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) between 1997-2014. She directed entrepreneurship outreach, the regional SBDC, and was tapped to serve as UNI’s inaugural Technology Transfer Director. She led the development of two business incubators at UNI and the launch of EntreFEST, a statewide entrepreneurship conference. She developed the Iowa Annual Survey of Small Business and Entrepreneurs and co-authored multiple peer-reviewed publications and white papers based upon those findings.

Mo has earned personal and professional awards for her field work from the University Economic Development Association, National Association of Women Business Owners, Technology Association of Iowa, MidAmerican Economic Development Association, and Association of Small Business Development Centers.