The Center for Entrepreneurship is dedicated to providing students the resources, inspiration, support, and mentorship for entrepreneurially minded individuals from every school of thought. We seek to build a cohesive and collaborative interdisciplinary environment that brings together the resources of the university, community, and private sector in order to cultivate independent and inspired learners and doers that develop innovative ideas and launch valuable businesses. Below are all of the individuals that help the center in its goals.
Entrepreneurship Faculty
Our team of innovative faculty includes experts from several different disciplines and backgrounds. Our faculty members are engaged in the regional community and 90 percent of our faculty have started their own businesses. Our average faculty to student ratio is 16 to 1.
Dr. Colleen Robb
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship and Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship
Department of Management
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Dr. James Downing
Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
Department of Management
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Peter Straus
Lecturer and Emeritus Director for the Center for Entrepreneurship
Department of Management
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David Rahn
Lecturer and E-Incubator Director
Department of Management
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Lance Blanshei
Faculty
Department of Finance and Marketing
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David Halimi
Lecturer
Department of Management
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Bonnie Persons
Assistant Professor
Department of Management
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John Meyer
Lecturer
Department of Management
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Sharon Crawford
Lecturer
Department of Management
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Thomas Villa
Lecturer and Executive-in-Residence
Department of Management
Department of Finance and Marketing
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Joe Schneider III
Lecturer
Department of Management
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Dr. David Alexander
Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering and Sustainable Manufacturing
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Executive Council for Entrepreneurship Education
The Executive Council for Entrepreneurship Education supports the extracurricular programming for the center. The council provides guidance and industry insight for the center in order to keep the programming relevant, rigorous, and competitive.
Darryl Schoen, Chair
Thomas Villa, Founding Member
Joseph Schneider III, Founding Member
Bob Bozeman, Founding Member
Marc Nemanic, Founding Member
Todd Ambor, Founding Member
Bridge Entrepreneurship Advisory Group
The Bridge Entrepreneurship Advisory Group is comprised of faculty from all seven colleges on campus. The goal of the program is to create champions in entrepreneurship across the campus and to ensure the academic programs in entrepreneurship serve the needs of any major on campus.
The Bridge Group seeks to serve the CSU, Chico community and its service area by:
- Developing entrepreneurship pedagogy across disciplines through the Bridge Fellows Program,
- Creating new venture collaborations among faculty, students, and the greater community,
- Overseeing further development of the new Markerspace in the Meriam Library,
- Garnering support from private foundations, investors, and alumni,
- Working closely with university administrators to enable successful technology transfer and intellectual property protection,
- Building a network of local and regional support services including accounting, legal, human resources, intellectual property, and risk management professionals among others, and
- Collaborating with existing centers and programs on campus that are actively involved in entrepreneurship programs and activities.
College of Business Administration
Dr. Curt Deberg, Co-Director
Dr. Colleen Robb, Co-Director
Assistant Professor, Department of Management
*Bridge Entrepreneurship Fellow
College of Engineering, Computer Science and Construction Management
Dr. David Alexander, Co-Director
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Sustainable Manufacturing
*Bridge Entrepreneurship Fellow
Dr. Kevin Buffardi
Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science
College of Communication & Education
Susan McMahon Wiesinger, Ph.D.
Department Chair and Professor, Department of Journalism and Public Relations
Dr. Matthew Stone
Assistant Professor, Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management
College of Humanities & Fine Arts
Lauren Ruth
Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Art History
Brian Redfern
Department of Music and Theatre
College of Natural Science
Maria Giovanni
Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Science
College of Behavioral & Social Sciences
Dr. Darin Haerle
Criminal Justice Coordinator, Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice
College of Agriculture
Erik Houk
Professor, Agriculture Business Institute
Hossein Zakeri
Assistant Professor
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