Jeff Engell
Background: A proud Colorado native, Jeff grew up in Loveland and Fort Collins and earned his Finance degree from CSU. After starting his career in investment banking and acquisitions in Denver, he found the work unfulfilling and pivoted—earning a master’s in economics from Lund University in Sweden. From there, Jeff spent four years teaching economics and finance at a private high school in Beijing before transitioning to international economic development, starting with a six-year stint in Turkey building tech transfer systems in partnership with the Turkish government and the EU.
Current Ventures: Jeff currently serves as a Regional Specialist for Economic Development with CSU Extension’s Western Region, based in Grand Junction. He brings decades of experience from public and private sector consulting, having built a 26-person international firm working on entrepreneurship and capacity-building across Asia and Africa. Back in Colorado, he also directed a Small Business Development Center in the western part of the state and now supports rural communities through infrastructure financing, entrepreneurship support, and economic analysis projects.
Expertise: Economic development, entrepreneurship ecosystems, public-private partnerships, international consulting, rural infrastructure finance, and systems thinking. Jeff brings a global perspective to local problems and encourages open-ended thinking and innovation.
Student Experience: Students working with Jeff will gain exposure to real-world economic development projects—like irrigation improvements and capital stacking—and learn how financial systems interact with community resilience. Jeff is especially open to students interested in internships and wants to support bold thinkers. As he puts it: “There are no limitations for what we can explore and think about.”
Fun Fact: Jeff has lived abroad in Sweden, China, Turkey, and Germany.