Matthew Hanson Named Director of Chapman Entrepreneurship Center
Matthew Hanson has officially taken over as Director of the Ralph W. Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship, which is a part of the Argyros School of Business and Economics. For the past five years, Hanson has worked at Chapman as an adjunct professor.
Hanson has been affiliated with Chapman long before taking over his new director role, having graduated from the Argyros MBA program 30 years ago. After he earned his MBA, Chapman attended USC’s Aerospace Engineering Ph.D. program.
Under Hanson’s leadership the center will continue its mission of providing resources such as workshops and mentors to those aspiring to launch start-ups. Chapman boasts that the center is, “empowering and energizing student and alumni entrepreneurs, through connecting and collaborating with investors and mentors and offering different innovative programs and events.”
Chapman allows students to take full advantage of the resources at the center by offering them the option to minor in entrepreneurship or to choose an emphasis in entrepreneurship. The center also offers Launch Labs, wherein Entrepreneurship Teams can receive intensive education and mentorship to speed up their launch and success.
Hanson is replacing former Directo, Shan Steinmark, who led the center from 2014-17, and was one of the center’s mentors for before he took over. Steinmark previously co-founded companies like EyeOnBusiness Institute and Strategic Transitions Research.
For Hanson, the new position has meant resigning from his career at Brea-Based Coulter Inc., where he was a Senior Program Manager. He also served as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Air Force, wherein he took on roles such as Secretary of the Air Force in Washington, D.C.
