Educator | Speaker | Entrepreneur | Author | Small Business Advocate
As one of our community’s most passionate advocates for small business, and a business owner himself, Tom intimately understands the power that entrepreneurship has to unlock human potential, create jobs, inspire wealth, and invigorate economies and communities across the globe. Tom has dedicated his personal and professional work to small business advocacy. He is a member of the National Federation for Independent Business Leadership Trust and a sought after speaker on topics concerning the importance of small business and entrepreneurship to the vitality of the American economy. Currently, he serves as an Assistant Dean at the University at Buffalo School of Management, Executive Director of the Blackstone LaunchPad at UB, and Executive Director of the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL) where he works with a dedicated team to give small business owners the support they need to thrive. Under Tom’s direction, the Center has expanded its sophisticated interdisciplinary approach to educating business owners through experiential learning and mentoring. CEL has over 1,400 graduates whose businesses employ over 22,000 employees in Western New York.
