Dr. Tasha Richard
Dr. Tasha Richard is an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Agriculture, where she teaches entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability, and business strategy. Her teaching and research focus on inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems, gender and entrepreneurship, inclusive entrepreneurship policy development, entrepreneurship education, food and agriculture, and the emerging role of entrepreneurship in ocean and climate-related sectors. She is actively involved in national and international entrepreneurship research and policy conversations, including as a Canada team member for the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor and Canadian Representative on the Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Policy Research Network in conjunction with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women, is on the Editorial Board for the Diana International Research Conference on Gender and Entrepreneurship, will chair the Diana Conference when it comes to Halifax in 2027, and chairs the Entrepreneurship Stream for the Atlantic Schools of Business Annual Conference. Across her academic work, Tasha is interested in how entrepreneurial systems can become more accessible, equitable, and responsive to the communities they are meant to serve.
Harvesting Impact brings together many of Tasha’s commitments as a researcher, educator, consultant, and ecosystem builder. Alongside her university work, she consults with organizations on strategic planning, commercialization, leadership development, inclusive innovation, and entrepreneurial ecosystem development. She was also a contributor to the Economic Equity Alliance in conjunction with the Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce and developed curriculum for CanWCC’s Flip the Script project. She is passionate about creating open, engaging, and inclusive teaching resources that help students see entrepreneurship beyond the usual stories of scale, disruption, and individual success. Through case studies, podcasts, and practical educator resources, Tasha’s work invites students and instructors to ask better questions about who gets recognized as an entrepreneur, whose knowledge matters, what kinds of ventures are valued, and how entrepreneurship can contribute to more sustainable and inclusive futures.
Publications
Peer Reviewed Journal Publications
Richard, T., Muldoon, J., & Lee, Y. (2025). The Confluence of Gender and Entrepreneurship: Moving Research Forward by Embracing Parallel Research Streams. Journal of Small Business Strategy, 35(3), 106–122. https://doi.org/10.53703/001c.143464
Bullock, C., Richard, T., Muldoon, J. (2025). The Development of Inclusive Agriculture Entrepreneurship Education Ecosystems for Young Entrepreneurs in Uganda. Entrepreneurship Research Journal. https://doi.org/10.53703/001c.138475
Richard, T. (2025). A discourse of women entrepreneurship policy in Canada. Journal of the International Council for Small Business, 7(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/26437015.2025.2457609
Dimick, V., Richard, T., Muldoon, J., & Lee, Y. (2025), “Entrepreneurial identity of women in an agriculturally intensive small island economy,” International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Vol. 21, pp. 1-25. https://doi.org/10.53703/001c.143464
Muldoon, J., Yonai, D., Richard, T. M., & Akter, S. (2024). Model city failure: New Haven and limits to the entrepreneurial state. Journal of the International Council for Small Business, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1080/26437015.2024.2338177
Richard, T., N.M. Deal and A.J. Mills (2021). “Damsels in Distress” Discourses of Entrepreneurship in Canadian Textbooks. Industry and Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/09504222211019311
Richard, T. (2020). Everything to Offer or Something to Prove? The Othering of Women in the newly formed Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. Workplace Review. Spring 2020;1-2 p.84-85.
Referred Academic Conference Proceedings/Presentations
Richard, T. (2025). Exploring Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystems: From Research to Impact. Presentation at Dalhousie University Engagement Day, Halifax, NS. (Unreferred)
Richard, T., Chadwick, I. (2025) Breaking Barriers: Understanding Fear of Failure Among Women Entrepreneurs in Canada. Presentation at the 22nd European Congress of Work and Organisational Psychology Conference, Prague, Czech Republic, May 22-25, 2025.
Richard, T. (2025) Amplifying Impact: Using Podcasting to Build Connections and Disseminate Knowledge in Higher Education. Dalhousie University Conference on University Teaching and Learning, Halifax, Nova Scotia, April 28, 2025.
Richard, T., Dimick, V., Lange, E., Ivanova, R., (2024) A Cross-Country Comparison of Women’s Entrepreneurship Policy and Entrepreneurial Propensity. Presentation at the Diana International Research Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, June 1-3, 2024. Runner Up for Best Conference Paper.
Richard, T., Chadwick, I., (2024) Exploring Fear of Failure among Nascent Women Entrepreneurs. Presentation at the Diana International Research Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, June 1-3, 2024
Richard, T., Deal, N., Muldoon, J., (2023) An Intersectional Look at Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Entrepreneurship Education Case Studies. Presentation at the Atlantic School of Business Annual Conference, September 22-24, 2023.
Richard, T, Dimick, V. (2023). A Discourse of Indigenous Women Entrepreneurship Policy in Canada. Presentation at the Diana International Research Conference, Boston, USA, June 4, 2023.
Richard, T. (2022) Something to Offer or Everything to Prove? A Discourse of Women Entrepreneurship Policy in Canada. Presentation at the Diana International Research Conference, Dublin, Ireland, June 21, 2022.
Dimick, V., Richard, T. (2021) Exploring Entrepreneurial Identity of Women in an Agriculturally Intensive Small Island Economy. Presented at the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship October 20, 2021. (Online).
Bullock, C., Richard, T. (2021) Exploratory Study of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Uganda in Relation to the Development of Inclusive Agriculture Entrepreneurship Ecosystems for Young Agriculture Entrepreneurs. Presented at the Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship Annual Conference, Fredericton, New Brunswick (online).
Bullock, C., Richard, T., & Deal, N. M. (2021). Women at the margins: Tales from agribusiness in Nova Scotia, 1905-2013. Presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management (Management History Division), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (online).
Richard, T., Williams, K., Mills, A. J., &a Helms Mills, J. (2021). Stakeholders’ Impact on Knowledge Creation: How Researchers Make Sense of Conflicting Priorities in the Process of Research. Paper accepted for presentation at the annual meeting of the European Group for Organizational Studies Colloquium, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (online)
Richard, T. Deal, N. M., Mills, A. (2019). “Damsels in Distress” Discourses of Entrepreneurship in Canadian Textbooks. Proceedings of the Atlantic Schools of Business Conference, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Richard, T. (2019). The Entrepreneurial Propensity of Women Revisited 10 Years Later. Proceedings of the Atlantic School of Business Conference, Cape Breton University, Sydney, Nova Scotia. Winner of the Best Student Paper at the 2019 ASB Conference.
Richard, T. (2019). The Entrepreneurial Propensity of Women Revisited 10 Years Later. Proceedings of the Diana International Research Conference, Babson College, Wellesley, MA.
Richard, T. (2019). Everything to Offer or Something to Prove? The Othering of Women in the newly formed Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. Proceedings of the Diana International Research Conference, Babson College, Wellesley, MA.
Richard, T., Mills, A. J., & Helms Mills, J. (2018). The Impact of Funding Agencies on the Sociology of Knowledge. Proceedings of the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada, Toronto, Ontario.
Peer Reviewed Book Chapters
Orser, B., Richard, T., Bokhari, K., (2025). Canada: Policy insights on financial literacy. OECD/GWEP, Bridging the Finance Gap for Women Entrepreneurs: Insights from Academic and Policy Research, OECD Studies on SMEs and Entrepreneurship, OECD Publishing, Paris, 77-81. https://doi.org/10.1787/75b52972-en.
Richard, T. (2025). Barbara Orser: A Leader in Canadian Entrepreneurship Policy Advocacy. In J. Helms Mills, A.J. Mills, K.S. Williams & R. Bendl. (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Gender and Management. Cheltenham: Elgar. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781803922065.ch10
Bullock, C., Richard, T. J., Deal, N. M. (2023). Women at the margins: Tales from the agribusiness field in Nova Scotia. In A. J. Mills & N. M. Deal (Eds.), History and business storytelling: Methodologies and big data analysis of business storytelling. A World Scientific encyclopedia of business storytelling (series edited by D. M. Boje). London: World Scientific Europe. 49-73. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789811273476_0003
Peer Reviewed Case Studies
Doucette, MB., Richard, T., Dimick, V., (2024). “Indigenous Entrepreneurship Grade 11 and 12 Case Studies with Teaching Notes.” Department of Education, Nova Scotia Government.
(Series of six case studies and teaching notes to be used in NS high school entrepreneurship curriculum)
Industry Publications/Media
Richard, T. (May 2025). Exploring Inclusive Entrepreneurship Ecosystems: From Research to Impact. Briefing presented to Senator Colin Deacon and Policy Team, Ottawa, ON (virtual).
Richard, T. (June 2025) GEM Panelist for the release of the report “GEM Canada 2025 National Report.”
Richard, T., (September 2024) BDC Panelist for the release of the report “Productivity in Canada and how to improve it.”
Richard, T., (2023) “Curriculum Development.” Flip the Script, Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce. (Curriculum for the pilot program aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs in securing business financing through challenging stereotypes. https://fts.canwcc.ca/)
Richard, T. (2023) “The Future of Farming in the Maritimes”. CBC News Radio Interview Information Morning with Portia Clark June 30, 2023 Hour 1. (https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-27-information-morning-ns)
Richard, T., (2023) “Digital Adoption Strategic Plan for Curriculum.” Atlantic Commercial Diving Centre
Richard, T., (2022) “Comprehensive Strategic and Business Plan.” Novagevity.
Richard, T., (2020) “Comprehensive Marketing Plan.” Innovasea.
Richard, T., (2019) “Comprehensive Strategic and Business Plan.” TruLeaf.