The Center for L.I.F.E. (Leading the Integration of Faith and Entrepreneurship) is excited to welcome Dr. Jen Bennett to the team as director of teaching, curricular, and cocurricular experiences. Jen brings deep experience in education, leadership, and faith-driven innovation. In this conversation, we explore her background, her vision for equipping educators and students, and what excites her most about joining the Center for L.I.F.E.
L.I.F.E.: Jen, welcome to the Center for L.I.F.E.! Let’s start with your background and how faith and entrepreneurship have come together in your career.
Jen: My background has always revolved around education—I started in youth ministry and then taught in K–12 schools, served in leadership roles, and later moved into higher ed. But the entrepreneurial journey really took off after I became a mom. I stepped away from full-time work for a season, but I still felt this deep desire to contribute and lead. So I started creating—building a consulting practice, launching a podcast, writing a book, and hosting gatherings for Christian woman entrepreneurs while working in higher education. Entrepreneurship became a way for me to reenter the workforce on my terms while staying true to my calling. And faith was always the foundation—guiding not just what I built but why I built it. That combination of innovation and conviction is what I love sharing with students and educators today.
L.I.F.E.: After your other endeavors, what made you want to step back into higher ed more directly?
Jen: For several years, I was working in a variety of entrepreneurial and faith-driven spaces—hosting the She Impacts Culture podcast, writing my book, speaking at conferences, and leading the Waco Gathering, a leadership experience I created for Christian woman entrepreneurs. I loved the creativity and freedom of that season, especially the opportunity to encourage women to lead boldly from a place of faith. But over time, I found myself increasingly drawn back to more formal educational environments. I missed being around students, helping them connect their faith to their future careers, and walking with them as they wrestled through real questions about calling and influence. Higher ed offers a unique opportunity to shape emerging leaders during a formative time in their lives, and I felt like God was inviting me to bring the entrepreneurial mindset and faith-based leadership tools I’d developed into that space more intentionally.
L.I.F.E.: One thing we’ve heard from students and alumni is that they often feel a gap between their faith and their business or career ambitions. How have you seen that in your work with students?
Jen: Many students have a deep faith and real entrepreneurial gifting, but they don’t always have a framework—or permission—to see those two things as integrated. That’s where the Center for L.I.F.E. comes in. We’re helping students understand that their ventures, their leadership, and their influence can—and should—flow out of their faith. It’s incredibly freeing and empowering when they begin to see that.
L.I.F.E.: Tell us a bit about your new role. What will you be focusing on at the Center for L.I.F.E.?
Jen: My focus is on teaching and co-curriculars, which includes supporting faculty who want to bring faith and entrepreneurship into the classroom and designing learning experiences outside the classroom, including teaching conferences for faculty, workshops, faith and entrepreneurship student chapters, and experiential learning opportunities. I’ll also be working on how we scale our resources to other campuses, helping more educators integrate this work into their own institutions.
L.I.F.E.: You’ve been on the teaching side of this yourself as a former instructor. What challenges do you think faculty face when they want to explore faith and entrepreneurship?
Jen: A lot of times, faculty are curious but unsure where to begin. They may not know what content is available, or they might feel uncertain about how to bring faith into a professional or academic space. One of the center’s strengths is that we’re creating a bridge—offering syllabi, bibliographies, tools, and a supportive community for faculty to step into this work with confidence and creativity.
L.I.F.E.: What gets you most excited about the work ahead at the Center for L.I.F.E.?
Jen: I’m excited about the team! Everyone here is deeply committed to the mission and passionate about innovation. I’m also excited about helping scale the center’s impact—creating new tools, building relationships with faculty on other campuses, and continuing to shape students who are grounded in their faith and bold in their vision.
L.I.F.E.: What’s one thing you hope students or faculty walk away with after engaging with L.I.F.E.?
Jen: That they are called to lead. Whether they’re launching a startup or mentoring one student, their influence matters. And when they align that influence with their faith, it’s powerful. My hope is that they leave not just inspired but equipped—with the conviction and the tools to lead ventures that matter for the good of others.
Dr. Jen Bennett is the director of teaching, curricular, and cocurricular experiences for the Center for L.I.F.E. at Miami University, where she leads national efforts to scale teaching and student experiences focused on faith and entrepreneurship across higher education. With over 20 years of experience in education, she has designed transformative programs, from pitch competitions to immersive learning journeys, that equip students to integrate their faith with their entrepreneurial calling. She is the author of #BeWorthFollowing, host of the She Impacts Culture podcast, and founder of the Waco Gathering.
To learn more or launch a student group at your college or university, contact Dr. Jen Bennett.
