MSU Foundation Welcomes New Placemaking Manager
EAST LANSING, Mich., January 25, 2022 –– The Michigan State University Foundation, a non-profit research foundation focused on technology commercialization and economic development, has announced that Anum Mughal has joined the organization as its first ever placemaking manager.
She will oversee the Foundation’s continued commitment to creating quality places for innovators to thrive in investment and economic development initiatives across the state. Programs she will manage include 1,000,000 Cups, Lunch and Learns, Pitch Events, and Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation, to name a few. With a passion for community equity, Anum advocates for entrepreneurship as a means for social change, uplifting the under-connected and underrepresented.
"Innovation happens due to the synergies made possible by place, between people, ideas, and opportunities,” said Jeff Smith, director of real estate, Michigan State University Foundation. “Adding Anum to the team to manage placemaking gives the Foundation the ability and expertise to activate our current spaces to build a more globally competitive set of innovation districts.”
Before joining the MSU Foundation, Anum worked with the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, where she built an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem and developed the blueprint of opportunity zones investment prospectus and stakeholder network across the Lansing region. There, she designed One and All, an intensive community support program for aspiring entrepreneurs from underrepresented communities, which received a gold award from the International Economic Development Council. She also works with the Lansing chapter of Startup Grind as the community relations director.
"It takes more than just real estate to build a community. Balancing programming, spontaneous opportunities, and spaces create a special experience for the innovators," said Mughal. "I'm looking forward to creating a connective environment for the MSU Foundation’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem."
Placemaking positions are more known for larger commercial real estate properties and are not as common within the entrepreneurship/startup world. However, as community building continues to be a priority, the MSU Foundation has activated placemaking activities to create and drive community engagement, promote entrepreneurship, and drive innovation on campus, in the region, and statewide.
The MSU Foundation’s central objective and long-term strategy are to enable innovation and create quality places for entrepreneurs, which means the relationship between people and places they share is essential. This new position will only continue to accelerate the organization’s exchange of future ideas, resources, and talent.
Contact Rod Poland at rpoland@msufoundation.org.
