Linda Ricchiuti serves as Executive Director of the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, where she leads the strategy, operations, and scaling of one of the nation’s most comprehensive, place-based entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems. She brings more than 30 years of experience spanning education, entrepreneurship, technology commercialization, and institutional innovation.
In her role, Linda provides executive leadership across a diverse portfolio of high-impact programs supporting students, faculty, researchers, startups, and community-based entrepreneurs. Her expertise includes research translation and commercialization strategy, innovation governance models, venture development frameworks, portfolio and program design, public-private partnerships, and the operationalization of complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives. She has played a central role in building scalable systems that connect research, talent, capital, and industry across local, national, and global contexts.
Linda is widely recognized for her ability to design and scale innovation infrastructure—translating early-stage ideas into sustainable ventures, institutional capabilities, and economic impact. Her work increasingly focuses on translational readiness, AI-enabled entrepreneurship tools, data-driven ecosystem evaluation, and federal and philanthropic funding strategies, including large-scale initiatives with corporate, foundation, and government partners.
Prior to joining ASU, Linda worked extensively across the education and innovation sectors, including as a classroom teacher, county-level curriculum developer, vice president of an emerging education technology company, senior director at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and founder and CEO of multiple entrepreneurial ventures. This cross-sector background gives her a rare ability to bridge education, industry, and community needs while building durable business and operating models.
Throughout her career, Linda has championed hyper-inclusive, place-based entrepreneurship—connecting learners and innovators directly to real-world challenges and opportunities to drive shared economic and social value. She has held numerous civic and nonprofit leadership roles, including Vice Chair for Economic Development at the Big Bear Valley Chamber of Commerce, President of the Village Business Association, and President of the Big Bear Valley Education Trust.
Linda holds a B.A. in English, an M.A. in Curriculum Development, and a Single Subject Teaching Credential from the University of California, Riverside.