Joined the Entrepreneurship Team in 2001

Mike has more than 35 years of entrepreneurial and business experience that includes work in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Prior to joining CSUSB, Mike was involved in avionics manufacturing, business consulting, and economic development. Since joining CSUSB, he has served as the Director of the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE), Chair of the the Department of Management, academic director for entrepreneurship, and Founding Director of the School of Entrepreneurship.

Directing the School of Entrepreneurship and Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE), Mike is responsible for program & curriculum management and development, teaching entrepreneurship courses, and overseeing numerous entrepreneurial initiatives. He directs a team of 60+ members and has raised over $53 million in grants, contracts and sponsorship and achieved national acclaim, including ranking as a Top 50 Graduate Program in Entrepreneurship globally by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine in 2022, 2023 and 2024 (2024 - #38 in the world; #8 in the West); and selected as one of the top 35 entrepreneurship centers globally in 2017 by AACSB International. In addition, the IECE has been recognized for its excellence in technology entrepreneurship, winning the United States Association for Small Business & Entrepreneurship’s Excellence in Entrepreneurship Education award for its technology commercialization fellowship program that helps transform minority scientists into innovative entrepreneurs.

As a faculty member, Mike has been recognized with several teaching awards including the University’s highest honor, the Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence (2021-22). In addition to his academic recognitions, Mike has received numerous awards throughout his business career, including Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the Year; Management Leader of the Year from the University of California, Riverside; and Small Business Advocate of the Year from the County of San Bernardino. Mike holds a BA and MBA in Business from CSUSB and a doctorate in Management from Case Western Reserve University. At Case Western, he served as a Fellow in the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations.

Most Admired Entrepreneur:

I can’t pick just one! I’m a big fan of Richard Branson and all of our Spirit of the Entrepreneur Award recipients here in the Inland Empire.

Awards & Recognition:

• CSUSB Golden Apple Teaching Award – University's highest honor for teaching excellence
• Best Academic Paper Award – 2011 International Engaged Management Scholarship Conference
• Cal State San Bernardino – Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration – Outstanding Instructionally Related Activities Award
• Cal State San Bernardino – Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration – Teaching Excellence Award
• University of California Riverside, A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management – Management Leader of the Year
• National Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) “State Star” Award for the State of California SBDC Program
• County of San Bernardino - Small Business Advocate Award
• Ernst & Young (EY) “Entrepreneur of the Year”