Spaeth, Mary

Dr. Mary Spaeth is a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stout where she leads the university’s emerging entrepreneurship program. Prior to UW-Stout, she taught at Texas State University, Royal Institute of Technology and Linkoping University in Sweden, University of the West of Scotland, Tec de Monterrey in Mexico, Southern Methodist University and Loyola University Chicago. In 2021 she was awarded reviewer of the year by the Academy of Management with Women and Gender Studies.

In her early career, Mary co-founded Communication Resource Group, a print-collateral firm responsible for accounts such McDonalds, Federal Reserve Bank, Bally Manufacturing, Nalco Chemicals. Today, she is economic development specialist in business incubation and science park development and conducts research in women’s entrepreneurship and employability. In the last 25 years she has held executive roles at Northwestern University/Evanston Research Park, ANGLE Technology, East Sweden Development Agency, and her own firm, Transmera AB. She has presented at IASP several times over the last 23 years.

As mentor and advisory board member for Entrepreneurship Futures Network based in the Silicon Valley, Mary mentors teams competing at the Rice Business Plan Competition and other US and International competitions. She is currently engaged with a new program funded by the United States called Empower Queensland mentoring Australian women starting new companies. Mary has two grown children, both successful entrepreneurs. She and her husband, Peter, are dual US/Swedish citizens. They live in Wisconsin and in Sweden.