Dr. J. Howard “Jim” Kucher is an Associate Professor of Social Innovation in the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. An award-winning teacher and internationally recognized thought leader in social entrepreneurship, he is the lead author of Social Entrepreneurship: A Practice-Based Approach to Social Innovation, recently published by Edward Elgar Publishers, a leading independent academic and professional publisher. In addition to his teaching duties, Kucher works as a consultant to leading and emerging social benefit initiatives to help them improve outcomes and increase sustainable revenues. He has successfully secured over $70m in working capital on behalf of mission-oriented enterprises and assisted over 100 area nonprofits and social enterprises in developing new models for meeting the needs of their constituents while increasing the sustainability of their organizations. Kucher earned a Doctorate in Public Administration with a concentration in Social Entrepreneurship, as well as an MBA with an Entrepreneurship specialization from The University of Baltimore. He holds a B.A. from Kean University and has also earned certification as a project management professional and a new product development professional. He has been recognized as a Baltimore Renaissance Seed Scholar, an Unsung Hero of Small Business, and a Fulbright Specialist Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship. His current research explores the field of Economic Theology and its practical application in faith based social enterprise.