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In February 2026, the Beyster Institute will be transforming from an "Institute" into an endowed fund with a single purpose of bridging industry and academia to prototype and pilot innovative employee-ownership strategies.

The J. Robert Beyster Endowed Fund for Employee Ownership Education will support bold and innovative initiatives for codifying emerging equity and business models to ensure more people have access to ownership opportunities that generate prosperity.

Current Executive Director Kim Blaugher will retire in February 2026, although he will continue offering the Institute's flagship ESOP training programs through a new partnership with the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO), ensuring ongoing support for the employee-ownership community.

You can learn more about the history of the institute and its transition in this new document, Entrepreneurial Employee Ownership & Innovation: Historical Perspectives and Future Vision from Institute to Catalytic Fund.

Additional updates will be shared as this transition progresses.