Restaurateur Offers First Course as Entrepreneur-in-Residence

Maureen Cumpstone ’79 will teach the college’s first entrepreneurship course as the entrepreneur-in-residence, a newly created position designed to support the college’s U-Imagine Center for Integrative and Entrepreneurial Studies.

Cumpstone is a successful Montgomery County entrepreneur with over 25 years of leadership experience. In 1995 she launched Sorella Rose, an independently owned restaurant and catering business. She tripled her business’ gross and net income over the course of 15 years and successfully expanded the enterprise to include event planning and a second location.

A seasoned entrepreneur and operations manager, Cumpstone holds an MBA from LaSalle University and is a 1979 Ursinus College graduate.

“Maureen joins us after many years as a successful restaurateur, one of the most unpredictable and challenging business ventures to pursue. Her knowledge and experience in recognizing market opportunities and developing strong relationships and managing risk add enormous value to our programs and activities,” said April Kontostathis, associate dean of Ursinus College and the U-Imagine Center co-director.

The  U-Imagine Center for Integrative and Entrepreneurial Studies was established in December 2013 to develop and sustain a campus-wide entrepreneurial spirit. As entrepreneur-in-residence, Cumpstone will teach the entrepreneurship course as well as manage current and future U-Imagine Center co-curricular programs and events. She will be involved in the development of an entrepreneurship curriculum for the college and will serve as mentor to enterprising students, faculty and staff as they plan and launch ventures. 

“The liberal arts foundation I received at Ursinus was instrumental to my career success,” she said. “I hope to inspire student learning by sparking interest in ideation, critical thinking, opportunity evaluation and the discipline needed for new enterprise execution.”