Global, social entrepreneurs featured at College's PioPitch on Nov. 16th

Dr. Meike Schleiff and Chip Pickering to make presentations in Cooper Auditorium

Marietta, Ohio (11/09/2017) — In celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week - an event celebrated by 10 million people in 170 countries - two entrepreneurs working to solve problems beyond the borders of the United States will be featured at PioPitch at Marietta College.

Designed to be an informal and engaging problem-solving session, PioPitch encourages business leaders, community members, and students to attend the free, one-hour session beginning at 4:00 p.m., Thursday, November 16th, in the Timothy O. Cooper Auditorium (Thomas 124).

The presenters, Dr. Meike Schleiff and Chip Pickering, will each provide an overview of their entrepreneurial endeavors, followed by an invitation for feedback from the audience on a current challenge each is facing.

Schleiff heads an international community-to-community partnership, The Grow Project, which works on healthcare and education initiatives in both Haiti and the Greenbrier Valley of West Virginia. She is also an Assistant Professor and Director of Research at Future Generations University - its mission is to increase the effectiveness of community change practitioners around the world to advance inclusive and sustainable change.

Pickering is the owner of Pickering Energy Solutions, which focuses on developing the use of solar and other forms of renewable energy. Pickering has taken global action in Haiti as well as Uganda and Liberia since 2000 for humanitarian-related programs and NGOs. He also works locally to install more renewable energy systems for residential and commercial customers. He hopes to foster a renewable energy generation within the Mid-Ohio Valley.

"I am a firm believer in the inherent value of all people and the importance of working to ensure that all people have the opportunity to work toward their goals and the purpose that they seek in life," Schleiff said.

Schleiff and Pickering will encourage the audience to consider how they can use their talents to make a positive change in their communities and beyond.

PioPitch sessions are free and open to the public. Community members are encouraged to attend. To learn more visit: marietta.edu/piopitch, facebook.com/PioPitch, or email entr@marietta.edu.

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy begun in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,200 full-time students. The College offers 45 majors and has been listed among Colleges of Distinction and Peterson's Competitive Colleges, and has been recognized as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation's best by Forbes.com.

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