Jeff Thomas, Entrepreneurship Chairperson & MET Program Director
170 Grawn Hall | 989-774-3270 | Jeff.Thomas@cmich.edu
Jeff
brings extensive experience building and leading entrepreneurship programs.
Before his academic career, Jeff was an attorney in Chicago and Silicon Valley,
where he advised clients on business formations, angel investments, venture
capital financings and intellectual property matters. He also founded an
internet company that helped attorneys seeking alternative careers.
Prior to CMU, Jeff was
the Chair of the Business School at Johnson & Wales University in
Charlotte, North Carolina where he implemented a food entrepreneurship degree, initiated a campus-wide
student pitch competition and helped connect the school to the entrepreneurial
community. Previously, Jeff designed and launched entrepreneurship and small business
programs at Belmont Abbey College and Chicago-Kent College of Law.
He also supervised law students as they counseled clients at
Northwestern’s Small Business Opportunity Center. Jeff served a board member
at Queen City Forward, a Charlotte accelerator, and he frequently serves as a
mentor and judge for entrepreneurship-related events.
He received his JD from
Harvard Law School and BBA from the University of Michigan Business School.
Prior to law school, Jeff rose to the rank of Senior Financial Analyst at
an American Express subsidiary. He also received state and national recognition for his results on the CPA exam. Jeff’s articles on crowdfunding and
venture capital valuations were published in the Harvard Business Law
Review Online.
Google Scholar Profile.