Natalie Guess is an innovation and economic development leader, entrepreneur, author and community advocate who has built her career around connecting people, ideas and opportunities to create meaningful impact.
Q: Tell us about yourself and the impact you’re making.
A: As assistant director of innovation and impact at The University of Southern Mississippi, I work to strengthen the pathway between research and real-world impact. Through the National Science Foundation’s Accelerating Research Translation (NSF ART) initiative, I help lead efforts to build a stronger culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across the university, removing barriers and creating opportunities for faculty, staff and students to translate research into solutions that benefit communities and the economy.
I also help lead Gulf Blue Navigator, a Blue Economy accelerator that connects innovative companies from across the country and around the world with Mississippi’s research, industry, federal and economic development assets. The program has supported 24 companies and helped 17 establish operations or a presence in Mississippi.
Beyond my professional role. I have served my community through nonprofit leadership and public service, including service on the Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources and the CASA of Hancock County Board.
I am also an award-winning children’s author. My books use engaging stories to help children understand nutrition, healthy lifestyles and the connection between the foods we eat and the world around us. My newest project introduces children to aquaculture, sustainable seafood, nutrition and ocean stewardship.
Whether I am helping a researcher move an idea toward commercialization, connecting a startup to an opportunity, strengthening Mississippi’s blue economy, serving my community or teaching a child about healthy choices, the common thread is simple: I want to create connections that turn ideas into opportunities and opportunities into lasting impact.
Q: What are you passionate about and why?
A: I am passionate about creating opportunities that make a lasting difference for people, organizations and communities. Throughout my career, I have been drawn to work where I can recognize the potential of an idea, bring the right people together and help turn that idea into something tangible.
That passion is at the heart of my work in innovation and the Blue Economy. I love connecting entrepreneurs, researchers, industry leaders, federal partners, investors and communities in ways that might not otherwise happen. There is something incredibly rewarding about making one introduction or creating one opportunity that ultimately leads to a new partnership, investment, company, job or technology that can benefit an entire region.
I am especially passionate about the Mississippi Gulf Coast and helping others recognize the incredible assets we have here. Through my work with Gulf Blue Navigator, I have seen firsthand what can happen when we think bigger about what our region can become. Helping position Mississippi as a place where innovative companies want to locate, grow, test technologies and build relationships has become one of the most meaningful parts of my career.
I’m equally passionate about health, nutrition, education and giving children information that can positively influence their lives. That passion led me to become a children’s author.
At first glance, innovation, economic development and children’s books may seem like very different worlds. For me, they are connected by the same purpose: helping people see possibilities they may not have seen before.
Whether I’m helping an entrepreneur find a path forward, connecting research with an industry need, building opportunities for my community or helping a child understand how their choices can affect their health and our planet, I am passionate about turning knowledge, relationships and ideas into meaningful action.
Q: What achievements or awards are you proud of?
A: I am most proud of achievements that reflect years of collaboration, persistence and a commitment to creating meaningful impact in my community and across Mississippi.
One of my proudest professional achievements is helping build and grow Gulf Blue Navigator, which recently was recognized by TIME as one of the nation’s Top Accelerators and Incubators, ranking 52nd nationally and number one in Mississippi. The program also was honored with the Rising Tide Award from the Gulf Coast Business Council for its contribution to the growth and advancement of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Seeing a program we have worked so hard to build receive both regional and national recognition has been incredibly meaningful.
I also am proud of my work advancing innovation at The University of Southern Mississippi. Helping create programs, partnerships and institutional changes that enable research to move beyond the university and create real-world economic and societal impact is an accomplishment I value deeply.
Outside of my career, my first children’s book, “The Biggest, The Oldest, The Strongest… All Eat Plants,” became a number-one Amazon Hot New Release and received an International Impact Book Award. My second book, “The Field of Greens: Fueling Up for the Big Game,” also reached number one in Amazon Hot New Releases. Knowing these books are helping children and families have conversations about nutrition, health and wellness makes those accomplishments especially meaningful.
Each of these achievements represents something I value deeply: building something that matters, serving others and leaving my community better than I found it.
Q: Share a quote or mantra you live by.
A: “What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.”
“What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.”