Mary R. Heidler, MBA, is currently an entrepreneurship instructor and the operations manager for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation at Kent State University.  Mary received her BS in Finance from Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland and her MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from The American University in Washington, D.C. 
Mary spent several years as a Small Business Contract Specialist with the Department of Defense. She provided small businesses, interested in obtaining DoD contracts, guidance through systems planning, negotiation, price and cost analysis, implementation , acquisition policy and post award negotiations.
In 2002, she moved to Hudson, Ohio and put her expertise in small business development to work as General Manager, opening several retail locations of the Life is Good clothing brand under the name Green Roots Collection.  The success of the first two locations in Hudson and Rocky River, Ohio led to the creation of the first retail store to open inside the Cleveland Clinic main campus.  
Mary brings retail startup experience and small business development skills to her Introduction to Entrepreneurship classes. 
Mary resides in Hudson with her husband Scott and their four children.