About the Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The Doherty Center for Creativity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Elon University encourages students to approach challenges with curiosity, think creatively and recognize opportunities to make an impact.

Through experiential learning, mentorship and engagement with entrepreneurs and business leaders, the center helps students develop the confidence and skills to explore new ideas, solve problems and pursue entrepreneurial ventures.

The center’s approach emphasizes creativity, innovation and social impact, encouraging students across all majors to apply entrepreneurial thinking in their careers, communities and everyday lives.

About Ed and Joan Doherty P’07

Photo of Ed and Joan Doherty P'07

Joan and Ed Doherty P’07 helped establish the Doherty Center in 2007 to give Elon students opportunities to develop ideas and explore entrepreneurship. Their involvement with the university grew out of the experience of their daughter, Kerry Doherty Gatlin ’07. Both served on Elon’s Parents Council from 2004 to 2007.

Joan and Ed co-founded Doherty Enterprises in 1985 and built it into one of the nation’s largest restaurant franchise operators. In 2024, Restaurant Finance Monitor ranked Doherty Enterprises No. 27 among U.S. restaurant franchisees.

As co-founder, Joan helped make decisions about how the company grew and how its restaurants connected with their communities. She worked with local organizations to gather memorabilia that gave restaurants a sense of place and made them welcoming to guests. She has also served on the board of the company’s Wow A Friend Foundation, which provides financial assistance to employees facing hardship or a major life crisis.

Ed has shared lessons from building the business in conversations with Elon students. He describes his approach to leadership through six principles: wow, attitude, connect, engage, relationships and accountability. He encourages students to take pride in their work, follow through on commitments and build relationships with the people they work alongside.

The Dohertys’ service to Elon extends across the university. Together, they endowed the Doherty Scholar Intern program and eight Odyssey Program scholarships, hosted Evenings for Elon in New York for more than a decade and co-chaired the planning committee that launched the Elon LEADS campaign. Ed also served as chair of Elon’s Board of Trustees.

In 2022, President Connie Ledoux Book presented both Joan and Ed with the Elon Medallion, the university’s highest honor for service. Read about their recognition in Today at Elon.