About the Kenan Institute

Kenan Institute Director John D. Kasarda [details], the leading expert in airport-driven economic development, leads a team of academics and practitioners committed to promoting economic success for companies and communities.

The Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise offers research, educational programs and strategic planning to help companies and communities achieve their economic goals.

It provides a neutral place where business, government, academia and civil society can collaborate to develop informed, practical and sustainable solutions to the competitive challenges they face.

Private enterprise serving public interest

Renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist Frank Hawkins Kenan founded the Kenan Institute at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School in 1985 to promote private enterprise worldwide and leverage private-sector resources and expertise to serve the public interest.

This forward-thinking agenda attracts leading scholars, business people and policymakers to that work. The institute is unique in that it is part of a top-ranked business school and research university, providing access to intellectual resources that enrich its projects and the research that informs them.