Rollins

Andrea Samaniego Díaz, PhD

Assistant Professor

Dr. Samaniego Díaz specializes in strategic marketing, finance, and social entrepreneurship. She brings extensive international experience, having studied in Ecuador and Belgium, taught for multiple institutions in Ecuador, and traveled extensively for academic conferences and business purposes across Europe, Asia, North and South America. With significant experience as a project manager in academia, Dr. Samaniego Díaz has been a team member in various research projects, including the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Ecuador and the European Latin American Network in Support of Social Entrepreneurs (ELANET). Passionate about social entrepreneurship, she has also been an entrepreneur herself, leading an exporting company of exotic fruits in Ecuador and working closely with small farmers in the Amazon region of the country, particularly women.

Education:

PhD, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
MBA, ESPAE Graduate School of Management, Ecuador
BBA, Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral, Ecuado

Areas of Specialization:

Business, Management, Marketing, Finance, and Social Entrepreneurship

Sample Courses Taught:

Social Entrepreneurship Marketing, Financing Social Entrepreneurship

Andrea Samaniego Diaz portrait

Research

Dr. Samaniego Díaz’s research primarily focuses on social entrepreneurship, women’s entrepreneurship, base of the pyramid, and sustainability, with a particular emphasis on Latin American studies. As part of the ELANET project's research team, Dr. Samaniego Díaz oversaw data collection in various Latin American countries, including Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, as well as European countries such as Bulgaria, Italy, and Belgium. In addition to publishing in international journals, she has contributed to book chapters and research reports.

Publications