GREENVILLE, Pa.—Assistant Professor of Business Administration and Marketing Steven Kandray has been named the Executive Director of the Haller Enterprise Institute.
The Haller Enterprise Institute at Thiel College seeks to cultivate entrepreneurial-minded students by offering an intensive, high-quality educational experience to a select cohort of undergraduates, regardless of major. The Institute is named after Henry E H’97. and Grace Mary Haller, major donors to the College who had a strong interest in entrepreneurship.
As Executive Director, Kandray will lead the Institute’s Advisory Board, recognize influential business community members and undergraduate students, network with regional leaders and allocate scholarships to students interested in entrepreneurship. The Institute recently held its Entrepreneur of the Year event. Thiel graduate Mark Marmo ’93 was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year and students Ava Kavulla ’25 and Casey Yacos ’25 were recognized as Student Entrepreneur of the Year honorees.
“Getting to work with the students involved with the Haller Enterprise Institute is one of my favorite parts of working at Thiel,” Kandray said. “They are an exceptionally driven group whose passion for entrepreneurship is inspiring.”
He succeeds Gary Witosky ’79 H’24 and David Miller ’60 H’20, two renowned former Haller Institute Executive Directors. Witosky served as the most recent director, bringing extensive experience working with and advising entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial companies. Meanwhile, Miller was the director from 1984-2020, where he taught and mentored hundreds of student entrepreneurs in his well-known and successful Introduction to Entrepreneurship course. As a result, the Institute collected over 400 business plans created by students under Miller's supervision.
Kandray is an Assistant Professor of Business and Marketing at Thiel College, where he teaches several entrepreneurship courses. His entrepreneurial experience includes managing a freelance marketing agency with his wife and working on their family farm.
He also has a bachelor’s degree from Mount Union and an MBA from Youngstown State University.
About the Haller Institute
In 1996, Henry E. H’97 and Grace Mary Haller, of Pittsburgh, provided Thiel College with generous financial support resulting in the renaming of the Thiel Business Institute as the Haller Enterprise Institute. Their $1 million gift was earmarked for the development of entrepreneurial education, a discipline for which the College has become increasingly well-known.
In 1997, Thiel awarded Henry Haller an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In 1998, Grace Mary passed away. Henry passed away in March 2012, and Linda Haller H’13 currently serves on the Haller Enterprise Institute’s Advisory Board.
About Thiel College
Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.