American University - Kogod School of Business

The Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship (Veloric Center) serves as a cross-campus catalyst and hub to promote and build the risk taking and the entrepreneurial way of thinking at American University. 

Website: https://kogod.american.edu/students/entrepreneurship/

The Veloric Center uses various experiential learning opportunities (competitions, workshops, panels, and events) to encourage, test, and expand students’ appetite for risk, change, and innovation. These curated engagements are geared toward helping students overcome their fears/uncertainties, moving them out of their comfort zones, learning to take risks, and building their confidence to identify their purpose and live their dreams.  Over $100,000 in prize money is awarded each year through our signature student entrepreneurship competitions.

The ultimate “identifying your purpose and living the dream” is the Business Incubator Program, where students initiate business models and build startup ventures to solve real-world customer problems.  People, financial, and other resources are made available by the Veloric Center to support these student-led ventures.  Over 150 student ventures have participated since it's inception with over 700 students participating. Ventures have earned over $10M in revenue and raised over $6M in investment during their time with the program.

Director, Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship 

As Senior Professorial Lecturer (“Executive-in-Residence”), teach undergraduate & graduate courses on introduction to business and entrepreneurship business planning, startup revenue/financial investment modeling, startup launch, and venture capital. Over 60 courses taught reaching over 1,500 students. Highly rated by students. 

Awards received: American University Outstanding Teaching Award in a Full-Time Term-Line Appointment (2020). Kogod Undergraduate Professor of the Year (2016, 2018), Kogod Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching (2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023), Kogod Faculty Award for Outstanding Service (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023), Kogod Dean's Special Award "Moving the Dial" (2015), Ann S. Ferren Curriculum Design Award (2015- joint award).

In 2022 - 2023, served as the Co-Chair for the Committee on "Reimagining the Kogod Core Curriculum".  Committee interviewed over 100 stakeholders. The main focus is building a new core business curriculum that is structured on integration, flexibility and preparedness for students.

In 2020 - 2021, served as the Co-Chair for the Committee on "Reimagining the Kogod Student Experience".  Committee interviewed over 100 stakeholders that identified five important insights and four key initiatives.  The four initiatives include: Connection (Make students feel more connected to Kogod), Knowledge (Create a more rigorous student learning experience, Preparation (Develop the Student's Professional Readiness) and Relevance (Prepare students to work in key industries). Recommendations are being implemented in all four key initiatives.

Senior Professorial Lecturer, Department of Management

Serve as the Director for AUCI with strategic and operational leadership in three key areas: entrepreneurship experiential learning, curriculum (entrepreneurship specialization and minors), and the entrepreneurship business incubator program (see below for details). Entrepreneurship experiential learning includes building student confidence in risk taking and entrepreneurial mindset through various workshops, competitions, and other events.  Competitions include the Startup & Standout, the Meaningful Change Pitch Challenge, Hack-for-a Change, and the Sustainability Invent-o-thon. Over 500 students participate annually with prize monies of over $75,000 annually.

Continue to work closely in AUCI Entrepreneurship Incubator by providing engaging experiential learning for students creating startup ventures. Continue in role of Director of AU’s VCIC program (see details below). AUCI website: https://kogod.american.edu/students/entrepreneurship/  

Serve as Director for AU/Kogod's participation in the annual Venture Capital Investment Competition (www.vcic.org) - a role playing competition with participation from the top 100 business schools across the globe.  Since 2015, over 200 students have participated in AU internal and regional competitions.

Director, American University Center for Innovation (AUCI)

Served as Co-Director of the AUCI Entrepreneurship Incubator with responsibility for incubator direction and management. Worked with 20 - 25 student ventures annually from across campus to develop promising ideas into business venture opportunities. Since inception, over 120 AU founders/co-founders and 70 ventures have participated.  Venture revenues total over $9.0 million and funds raised by ventures is over $3.6 million.  Over 600 additional students impacted by participating with ventures. Website: (https://www.american.edu/kogod/research/innovation/incubator.cfm

Co-Director, AUCI Entrepreneurship Incubator

New Dominion Angels (NDA)

Screen and invest in early stage companies in the Washington, DC region.

Member

IP3, a Tetra Tech Company

Responsible for all strategic, financial, and marketing leadership for global adult continuing education & consulting services offered in economic growth, public-private partnership modeling, and regulatory development. Remained as CEO of the IP3 subsidiary under Tetra Tech until 2010 and served as Director until early 2013.

Director

Institute for Public-Private Partnerships, Inc. (IP3)

Responsible for strategic, financial, and marketing leadership for growth-oriented commercial global adult continuing education/certifications and consulting practice in economic growth, public-private partnerships modeling, and regulatory development. Created several highly successful LLC joint-venture companies to pursue specific US government business in the international development space.

Served for three years as a Co-Director for the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Program offered jointly by IP3 and the Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Services (AABFS) in Amman, Jordan for bankers, managers, and entrepreneurs from the Middle East and Gulf State countries. 

IP3 was acquired by Tetra Tech, Inc. in 2008. Remained as CEO of IP3 subsidiary.

Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Director

Various Training/Development Organizations

Developed, planned, marketed, and managed international commercial executive training programs for three companies, two that were successful startups. Developed bid & proposals and implemented international development projects for US government and multi-lateral development agencies.

Training/New Business Coordinator

Focus/interest:  Teaching & mentoring undergraduate & graduate students in general business practices and entrepreneurship business modeling, financing, and startup launch. Providing strategic leadership in innovation, entrepreneurship, and venture capital at AU. Mentoring/coaching student startups.

Active early-stage (angel) investor in the Northern Virginia region investing in many early-stage companies, including ten years with the New Dominion Angels investing group. Dabbles in investing in equity crowdfunding platforms and has invested in two early-stage investment funds (K Street Capital $25m Seed Stage Capital Fund I and MS Evolution Tech Fund III).

Active participant the DMV Startup Ecosystem and DC Startup Week as a presenter, judge, and coach. He mentors 10 – 15 early-stage companies annually. Former board member and Treasurer of Together We Bake, a non-profit organization providing life skills and baking training to women recently released from prison.

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