CHESTERTOWN, MD, August 18, 2013—Lansing Williams, an assistant professor of business management at Washington College and advisor to the highly successful Enactus team on campus, has been named to the Enactus United States Faculty Advisory Committee. As one of 25 advisors, he will be offering his expertise to enhance the programs and practices of the international non-profit organization, which encourages college students to use the power of entrepreneurial action and business concepts to improve the quality of life for people in need. 

Founded in the United States in 1975 as Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), today’s Enactus has chapters at 535 universities and colleges in the United States and is active in 37 other countries across the globe. Enactus brings students together with academic and business leaders to create community outreach programs based on business principles. The ultimate goal: transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world.

At national Enactus competitions, campus teams showcase the collective impact of their community outreach efforts. Business leaders judge student presentations based on how successful they were at using business concepts to improve the quality of life and standard of living for those in need. 

This past spring, the 35-member Washington College Enactus team was named a Regional Champion for the fourth consecutive year and won the first round of competition at the Enactus National Championship in Kansas City, effectively placing it in the top 20 of Enactus teams in the United States. 

The Washington College team has focused on three projects:

·      “Green Marina” works to improve the Chesapeake Bay waters by helping marina owners reduce pollution from fuel and paint spills and by exploring innovative ways to grow and plant oyster spat.

·      “Let’s Can Hunger/Garden Boxes” partnered with the College’s dining services and other campus and community organizations to provide more than 5,000 cans of food products to the Kent County Food Pantry. It also provided Food Pantry clients with portable vegetable garden boxes.

·      “Shore Marketing” helps local not-for-profit organizations (most recently Kent Association of Riding Therapy) improve their social-media marketing campaigns.

As the club’s advisor, Williams, a Sam M. Walton Free Enterprise Fellow at the College, is quick to point out that it is the student team members who come up with the project ideas, develop the projects, prepare the presentations for competition, and stand in front of the judges.  “I’m proud of every member of the team, and I’m in awe of the time these students spend, including coming back to campus after the school year has ended, to prepare for competition,” he adds.