For years the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship has integrated entrepreneurship into the very fabric of the University of Washington, particularly its Foster School of Business. Now, with Seattle angel investor, startup mentor and former Cisco acquisitions manager Rob Adams as the next director, there are more great things to come. Adams succeeds Connie Bourassa-Shaw, who will be stepping down at the end of June to take her place as the part-time executive director of the Foster School’s new Master of Science in Entrepreneurship degree program.
James Jiambalvo, the Dean of the Foster School, announced Adams’ appointment as Director. In a press release he said: “Rob has 18 years of experience at Cisco, where he worked on due diligence related to 73 tech acquisitions. Since leaving Cisco, he’s been an advisor to start-ups in Seattle and the Bay Area, an angel investor, and a consultant to venture capital and private equity clients. Our priority for this position was to find someone who is well connected in the Seattle entrepreneurial ecosystem, who loves working with students, and who can continue to expand entrepreneurship across the University of Washington. Rob’s that person.”
The process of choosing Adams as the new Director wasn’t simple—a committee in a very deliberate search carried it out. They wanted a Director who was focused on supporting highly creative and innovative students, and Adams fit that bill.
In addition to Adams’ professional experience, he’s been a mentor at the Buerk Center and in the Jones + Foster Accelerator for a few years. He also currently teaches an undergraduate course on “Creating a Company,” which wasn’t a prerequisite for his directorship but was a bonus that helped him land the position.
For Rob Adams, who will start after June 1, he’s thrilled with the opportunity and said: ”I’m grateful for this chance to build on the exceptional foundation that is the Buerk Center, constructed and nurtured by Connie. I’ll do my best to continue and expand on that work, as entrepreneurship becomes increasingly important for students’ future successes, regardless of their chosen careers.”