Work in Progress: Examining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Entrepreneurship Programming.

In recent years, interest in entrepreneurship education to advance technological innovation has grown significantly. Drawing from the business community, entrepreneurship education programs have been introduced to broader communities, including research and science. As these efforts have expanded, so has an interest in cultivating a pipeline that considers diversity, equity, and inclusion. The purpose of this study is to use Critical Race Theory to examine how entrepreneurship programs can foster an inclusive environment through understanding the perceptions of racially minoritized engineering faculty (i.e., persons who identify as African American/Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) of an entrepreneurship program. Seven racially minoritized engineering faculty of an entrepreneurship training program participated in 60-minute semistructured interviews to understand their sense of belonging in the program and their experiences related to respect and inclusion in the program. Two themes emerged from the data: 1) reducing structural barriers and rectifying harsh climate conditions can improve participants' overall sense of belonging and 2) representation of racially minoritized populations can be improved through more inclusive recruiting and marketing efforts. Overall, this research aims to inform practices that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM entrepreneurship programming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]