Howard Rasheed Ph.D

Dr. Howard Rasheed is a professor, speaker, and author, internationally known as “The Innovation Strategist” for his ground breaking ideas on innovation and creativity. As an entrepreneurial visionary, Dr. Rasheed has owned, operated, and created a number of multi-million dollar ventures. He is the Founder of The Institute for Innovation, and inventor of the Idea Accelerator®, a patent-pending innovation and ideation system and software for strategic transformation.

Dr. Rasheed earned a Ph.D. from The Florida State University in Global Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship and has written over 30 practitioner and academic publications. As an Associate Professor of Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina Wilmington he teaches in the areas of Innovation and Technology, Business Strategy, and Entrepreneurship. Dr. Rasheed has received the Outstanding Alumni and Outstanding Instructor awards from his alma mater, the University of West Florida where he received a B.S. in Marketing and an MBA in entrepreneurial studies.

His work in Strategic Foresight has included planning for multiple sectors of the Brazilian economy on behalf of their Minister of Science and Technology. His work in Brazil was recently featured in Black Enterprise October 2010 issue. He was lead consultant for the five-year strategic plan for the Research Triangle Region. Dr. Rasheed founded the Leadership Development Institute’s Virtual Think Tank, a social policy group.

Previously, Dr. Rasheed has been the Chief Operating Officer of a $20 million aerospace manufacturing company, acquiring and managing over $100 million in government contracts. Additionally he worked as a manager in telecommunication and data communications with AT&T. During the two year period prior to working on his doctorate he won over $16 million in grants and contracts for entrepreneurial firms.

As an author and speaker, Dr. Rasheed has recently co-authored a book with Dr. Warren Bennis and Jim Rohn entitled Yes you Can! Reaching your Potential While Achieving Greatness. His chapter, “Opportunity Never Knocks: The Power of Innovative Leadership” describes his unique contribution to innovation around the world. As a long-time member of the World Future Society his work on "A Scientific Approach to Collaborative Innovation and Strategic Foresight," was published in the book: Seeing the Future Through New Eyes.

Dr. Rasheed has been a public speaker for many years and is a graduate of Dale Carnegie. His recent keynote presentations include: “Innovate or Perish: Finding Opportunity in the New Global Economy”. His upcoming book entitled Innovation Renaissance: 7 Steps to Winning the Future is due in early 2012.