Ateba Whitaker

Biography

Ateba Whitaker is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Management at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. She has more than two decades of experience at the intersection of entrepreneurship, social impact, and global business—having worked with Nike and Pepsi before founding Shoe Revolt, a national social enterprise combating human trafficking, and Unreasonable Kids College, a nonprofit preparing youth to become ethical entrepreneurs. Her work has been recognized by the United Nations and national media outlets.

At Virginia Tech, she teaches entrepreneurship, guiding students to lead with purpose, innovation, and ethical responsibility. Her research interest, and the focus of her Ph.D. in the Individualized Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program, examines ethical artificial intelligence (AI), adolescent well-being, and digital platforms, with particular attention to how algorithmic systems shape identity, decision-making, and inclusion.