Robert (Bob) Pinckney, former director of the UGA Entrepreneurship Program, passed away on Feb. 20 at age 66.

In 2015, Pinckney was invited to teach a one-semester class in the emerging academic field of entrepreneurship at the University of Georgia. The class proved the power of “practicing entrepreneurs growing promising entrepreneurs,” and within months, UGA established a university-wide certificate program in entrepreneurship. It was housed within the Terry College of Business, but open to students of any major, with Pinckney named as the director of the program.

Under Pinckney’s leadership, the program fostered an ecosystem of innovation, bringing in coaches, mentors and donors from all types of businesses, and established two national pitch competitions. Pinckney raised the program’s national profile, built an angel investment network, and grew enrollment significantly. Today, the UGA Entrepreneurship Program has one of the highest enrollments of any program on campus and includes students from every college at the university.

Pinckney’s fascination with how businesses work began at age 12 during a 4-H field trip to a telecommunications facility. He was captivated by the inner workings of the industry. At 16, he built a laser from scratch for a state-winning 4-H electronics project.

He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1982, where he was inducted into multiple honor societies, including Phi Kappa Phi, Blue Key, Gridiron and ODK, and served as president of Mortarboard. He attended Harvard Business School, graduating with an MBA in 1986.

His curiosity and ingenuity allowed him to gain valuable experience with Southern Bell and the John Portman Companies before embarking on a career as a serial entrepreneur. He played a pivotal role in U.S. ventures such as Network Telco in Houston and Evoshield in Athens.

Pinckney is survived by his sons, Bobby and Max, and his wife, Elizabeth Bradham Pinckney. A funeral service was held Feb. 27, and a celebration of life was held March 1.