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Past Directors of the Center for Entrepreneurship

Dr Don HackettDr. Donald Hackett
1994 - 2005

Dr. Hackett graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1967 with a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance. After being commissioned in the U.S. Army, Lt. Hackett served, on active duty, with the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry in the Republic of Viet Nam. He is now retired as a Colonel in the United States Army Reserve. Upon returning from Viet Nam, Hackett worked for two Fortune 500 firms, the Kerr McGee Corporation and Federated Department Stores. He later returned to the classroom at the University of Oklahoma as an NDEA fellow and received his DBA in Marketing and Management. In 1973, he joined the faculty of the W. Frank Barton School of Business at WSU as a professor of marketing. Within the University, Dr. Hackett has held the positions of Director of Graduate Studies in Business from 1974-1980 and Director of the Center for Management Development from 1989-1992.

Dr. Hackett is the recipient of the prestigious WSU Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has written extensively in marketing and management with articles appearing in such journals as the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Advertising, and Journal of Small Business. He authored a monograph entitled Franchising: Status and Strategies, published by the American Marketing Association and co-authored Facilitation Skills for Team Leaders. Dr. Hackett's rich management background in business and military organizations, combined with his academic experience, provide a unique resource for the students he teaches. He has worked with many national firms including: PepsiCo, Raytheon Aircraft, Coleman Company, and Canadian Pacific Railway. Dr. Hackett resigned as the Center's Director in spring 2005 to return to the classroom and to pursue research as a Family Business Fellow.

GrahamDr. Gerald H. Graham
1989 - 1993

As the recipient of the R. P. Clinton Distinguished Professor of Management and former Dean of the W. Frank Barton School of Business, Dr. Gerald Graham earned his Ph.D. in Management at Louisiana State University in 1967. Dr. Graham joined the faculty at Wichita State in 1967. As the director of WSU's Center for Entrepreneurship, Dr. Graham helped move the Center into a new era. During his tenure, the academic program gained permanency and acceptance in the academic community with the approval of the undergraduate major in 1990.

Dr. Graham has made management presentations to more than 250,000 participants in 44 states and Canada. His research interests include the study of nonfinancial incentives, conflict resolution, and organizational communication. A recognized leader in management education, Dr. Graham is a recipient of the WSU Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Barton School of Business Teaching Award. Dean Graham has published four management textbooks, which have been adopted nationally, and numerous research articles. He also writes a semi-monthly column for the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain.

Fran JabaraF. D. (Fran) Jabara
Founder & First Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship
1977 - 1989

A certified public accountant, Professor Jabara earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and completed his graduate studies at Northwestern University. Fran joined the faculty at Wichita State University in 1949 and served the University for 40 years. He was made a Distinguished Professor in 1971 and served as Dean of the College of Business Administration for seven years.

Jabara, recognized as a national leader in entrepreneurship, was awarded the Freedom Foundation's prestigious Leavey Award of Excellence in Private Enterprise Education and the George Washington Honor Medal. Fran was the chairman of the Kansas delegation to the 1986 White House Conference on Small Business. In 1991, he was the recipient of the Ernst Young, Merrill Lynch, Inc. Magazine Award for Entrepreneur of the Year. In 1991, he founded Project HOPE, a program designed to encourage entrepreneurial thinking in multicultural fifth graders. Wichita State University dedicated Jabara Hall in 1996, the same year Jabara was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Oklahoma Sate University. He was a 1997 Laureate for the Wichita Business Hall of Fame.

Founder of a merchant banking and investment company, Jabara Ventures Group, and the Jabara Family Foundation, Fran is a board of directors' member of numerous private and public corporations. Devoted to fostering a more conducive environment for entrepreneurs, Mr. Jabara continues to be actively involved in assisting and facilitating entrepreneurial development, frequently traveling internationally to discuss joint venturing and entrepreneurship. Professor Jabara has been instrumental in assisting other universities in creating academic programs in entrepreneurship.

This site is maintained by CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP. This page last modified on Monday, November 16, 2009 9:06:30 AM Central US Time. If you find errors please bring them to the attention of Hoainam Duong (cfe@wichita.edu).