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Nathaniel Berger joined the Voinovich School in October 2019 and has been with ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ since 2005. Nathaniel has directly served the tri-state Appalachian region, supporting entrepreneurs, small businesses, social enterprises, and nonprofits since 2016. Now serving as Director of the Impact Enterprise Team, he leads the development, execution, and management of strategic programs that support economic development, entrepreneurship, impact, and social innovation across Ohio and Appalachia.

He works to: Lead the implementation of ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ-aligned strategies through institutional, state, and federally funded programs aimed at advancing regional economic prosperity; Coordinate and elevate on-campus and regional entrepreneurial initiatives such as entrepreneurship & impact-focused summits, and student & departmental entrepreneurial events, by overseeing student experiential learning partnerships with social and impact enterprises; Provide direct advising and strategic consultation to nonprofit and for-profit impact enterprises across Ohio and Appalachia, focusing on impact via business model innovation, operational effectiveness, and succession planning.

Nathaniel has worked with the LIGHTS Regional Innovation Network since 2016 in multiple capacities, serving a 26-county region assisting entrepreneurs, businesses, and organizations focusing on product development, production, and related business activities. Nathaniel helped lead LIGHTS-INC, a follow-on initiative based upon LIGHTS, to help bridge the gap between the regional recovery ecosystem with that of the robust entrepreneurial ecosystem. This initiative later grew into a multi-year, multi-partner, and multi-county partnership focusing on SUD and workforce development projects: Integrating Recovery Supports... (IRS), Expanding Recovery... (EXPRESS), and Expanding Networks in Recovery... (ENRICH).

Nathaniel has led over a decade of entrepreneurial support, with a focus upon information technology, prototyping, and creative applications in the commercial and educational realms, working in the digital arena since 1997, education since 1999, and in creative production since 2005. He has leveraged these experiences helping clients meet their goals through practical applications of workflows leveraging modern business strategies alongside digital technologies and prototyping tools. He has worked with small to medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, startups, non-profits, artists, educators, engineers, and students to develop client and objective specific creative solutions for a wide variety of needs.

Before joining the Voinovich School, Nathaniel led major initiatives within the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts across 11 years, including the launch, operations, and grant-writing and funding of the Aesthetic Technologies Lab, and the CREATE_space, focusing upon creative technologies adoption and entrepreneurial activities for workforce opportunities.

Additionally, Nathaniel received his master's degree in Digital Visual Communication from ÃÛèÖÊÓƵ in 2016. He founded BBG, LLC, focusing on the gamification of activities via the creation and implementation digital tools, affording him opportunities to speak at the Midwestern Conference on Health Games, and international Games for Health Conference, among others. Nathaniel took home the 2012 grand prize in the Health 2.0 competition, and second place in the Google Android Developer Challenge 2. Additionally, he has been credited with help and contribution to the creation of notable international-touring art gallery experiences: SCALE and Biomodd.