The Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship is able to serve our entrepreneurial students, the faculty and the wider JMU community thanks to the generosity of our donors.
We are grateful for their support and gifts to encourage entrepreneurship at JMU.
Leslie Flanary Gilliam ('82)
Leslie's daughter Julia Gilliam Sterling of West Palm Beach, Fla., announced a $5.2 million commitment from her family to name the Leslie Flanary Gilliam (’82) Center for Entrepreneurship in the JMU College of Business. The net commitment is the largest in JMU’s history and was unveiled October 26, 2019 as part of the public launch of Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison University.
Entrepreneurship is a priority of the university’s $200 million comprehensive campaign and includes the center, the academic minor and a campus culture that supports a variety of entrepreneurial initiatives.
“What my mom loved most about JMU was the sense of community,” her daughter says. “She was so enthusiastic about her work on the board and with Women for Madison. I remember asking her, ‘What is it about JMU that’s so exciting?’ She said, ‘I love JMU. Julia, those are my people.’”
Leslie Gilliam was a 1982 JMU management graduate, philanthropist and leader who served as a member of the JMU Board of Visitors and was a co-founder of Women for Madison. She died in 2016.
The commitment to JMU comes from Leslie Gilliam’s family, including widower Richard Baxter Gilliam Sr., son Richard Baxter Gilliam Jr., and daughters Julia Gilliam Sterling and Anna Gilliam who want to further encourage that spirit at JMU.
“Some of the best ideas are incubated in an academic environment,” she says. “That’s why we believe the center is important at JMU. At the center students can learn, explore and create with the support of their academic community. Entrepreneurship requires taking a lot of risks, putting yourself out there, and believing in yourself. Starting out with support in an academic community is important.”
Eric and Lara Major ('91)
JMU instilled in Lara and Eric the importance of collaboration and hard work. Those values, combined with the meaningful relationships they built during their time at the university, provided a foundation for pursuing exciting entrepreneurial ventures.
Although neither graduated from the College of Business, both went on to establish entrepreneurial enterprises, Lara in the educational sector and Eric in the medical device industry. Their experiences reinforced the belief that entrepreneurs emerge from every corner of the university, regardless of academic discipline.
The Major Innovation Hub is designed to serve students across the entire university, welcoming individuals from any major and providing a space where like-minded innovators can connect, collaborate and transform ideas into new ventures. Through their support of the Hub, Lara and Eric hope to create opportunities for future generations of entrepreneurs while giving back to the institution that helped shape their journeys.
They are excited to see new ideas grow into successful companies that make meaningful contributions to communities around the world. They also hope alumni will become actively involved, inspiring students and serving as mentors. At its core, the Hub reflects a belief that collaboration is fundamental to success. It begins when individuals open doors for others to collaborate, innovate, dream and share ideas.
Hours of operation:
Mon - Fri: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
