UPDATED: May 25, 2012, 2:20 p.m.

Terry Brown, former CEO of civil engineering firm O’Brien and Gere, will now serve as
the new director of the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship – a position that has not been filled since last August.

The Falcone Center is the outreach arm of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management’s department of entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises. The center facilitates entrepreneurial activity at Syracuse University and in the local and regional communities, according to the center’s website.

Randy Elder, senior associate dean at Whitman, said Brown’s tenure as CEO of O’Brien and Gere and his personality were major reasons for hiring him.

‘From our standpoint, to have somebody with that level of experience was very attractive,’he said. ‘Everyone was impressed not only with his professional background but also with him as an individual.’

The Falcone Center has been without a director for nearly one year, when Tom Kruczek left to become dean of Lynn University’s College of Business and Management.

As executive director of the Falcone Center, Brown will be responsible for a large number of outreach activities the center is involved in, Elder said. These activities include the Southside Innovation Center, the WISE Women’s Business Center and the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities program, Elder said.

In addition to overseeing these programs, Elder said Brown will act as a liaison between the Whitman faculty and students involved in the Falcone Center. 

Brown said in an email that the wide range of programs and the many challenges he will encounter made the position an exciting opportunity. The job allows him to pursue his passion for entrepreneurship and interact with students.

‘The position description matched my experience and skill sets very well, and fulfills a personal desire to one day be a part of a great institution of higher learning where I could make a difference for the institution, the students and the community,’Brown said.  

By working with students, faculty, administrators and community leaders, Brown said he hopes to make the Falcone Center ‘second-to-none’ in developing entrepreneurship programs.

‘The Falcone Center will provide a cohesive force for collaborating with other institutions and will be a community leader in entrepreneurship and corporate entrepreneurship education,’Brown said.

Brown said his past jobs will help him in his new position. In addition to his time at O’Brien and Gere, Brown was a U.S. Marine Corps officer and an instructor for the U.S. Naval Academy. He has also been involved in creating new companies, promoting innovation and developing new business models.

Brown has had several experiences with SU and the Whitman school in the past. Throughout his career, Brown was mentored by two SU graduates Jack Loveland, retired CEO of O’Brien and Gere, and Neil Murphy, current president of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. Brown said their guidance has prepared him well for his new position.

Brown said he looks forward to becoming more involved with the Falcone Center’s outreach efforts in the future, and he is honored to be chosen as the Falcone Center’s new director.

Said Brown: ‘I am looking forward to working with students, faculty and staff to continue the tradition of excellence in entrepreneurship.’ 

jliannet@syr.edu

Published on May 18, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Jessica: jliannet@syr.edu | @JessicaIannetta