About the Senior Director

cheryl turnbull headshot

Cheryl Turnbull is the senior director of the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship.

In her role, Cheryl is responsible for encouraging and resourcing an entrepreneurial ecosystem at Ohio State, supporting faculty, staff, students and alumni. Cheryl works to foster relationships for these Ohio State constituencies with venture firms, startups and talent resources to create successful companies and provide experiential learning opportunities. 

Entrepreneurs are supported through networking opportunities, the Buckeye Venture Mentor Service, and capital resources. This encompasses oversight of funding vehicles, including the $1 million annual Accelerator Award program and the university’s $100 million of investments in certain economic development funds, including Drive Capital, the Ohio Innovation Fund, and others.   

Prior to joining Ohio State, Cheryl worked in the areas of private equity, mezzanine and venture capital, with such entities as Talisman Capital Partners, Phronesis Partners, and Banc One Capital. Cheryl was also the founding partner of the corporate finance advisory firm, Capital Transactions. Cheryl has served on the boards of directors of numerous public and private entities.  Currently, Cheryl is a director of Griffon Corporation. Cheryl also is a member of the Finance Council of the Columbus Catholic Diocese, a member of the Women’s Leader Group of the Community Shelter Board, and a member of Upper Arlington Rotary. 

Cheryl graduated with honors from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management and received her Bachelor of Science degree cum laude from Miami University.