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Photograph of Tommy White

Tommy White Senior Professorial Lecturer and Director, Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship Management

Degrees
MBA in Marketing from the Kogod School of Business, American University (1995)

BA in Economics and History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1986)

Favorite Spot on Campus
Veloric Center (DMTI 221) - Where Innovation Happens!
Bio
Professor White is a Senior Professorial Lecturer ("Executive-in-Residence") at the Kogod School of Business at American University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on introduction to business, introduction to entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship business planning, revenue/financial forecast modeling and start-up launch, and venture capital.

Professor White serves as the Director for the Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship at American University (formerly the AU Center for Innovation - AUCI) with strategic and operational leadership in three areas: experiential learning, curriculum (entrepreneurship specializations & minors) and the entrepreneurship business incubator program (Website: https://kogod.american.edu/students/entrepreneurship/). Over 500 students participate annually in entrepreneurship student competitions with prize monies of $100,000 awarded each year. In the incubator program, he works with 20 - 30 student startup ventures each year on building viable business models. Since its founding, the Veloric Center/AUCI has worked with over 150 student ventures including 250 AU founder/co-founders and 500 additional students with venture revenues of over $10 million and funds raised of almost $6.0 million while part of the program & one year after graduating.

He also serves as the Director of AU/Kogod's student teams (both graduate and undergraduate) participation in the annual Venture Capital Investment Competition (www.VCIC.org) that involves 100 of the top business schools across the globe. 25 - 30 AU/Kogod students participate each year.

Professor White has been presented the following awards at Kogod:

American University Outstanding Teaching Award (2020)
Kogod Undergraduate Professor of the Year (2016 & 2018)
Kogod Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching (2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023)
Kogod Faculty Award for Outstanding Service (2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023)
Kogod Dean's Special Award "Moving the Dial" (2015)
Ann S. Ferren Curriculum Design Award (2015- joint award)

Professor White is a Co-Founder and former CEO and Director of the Institute for Public-Private Partnerships (IP3), an innovative and industry leading company that provides advisory services and accredited training to key government and private sector officials from emerging market countries on economic growth and public-private partnership strategies. Founded in 1994, IP3 was acquired in 2008 by Tetra Tech, Inc. a then $2.0 billion infrastructure services firm. He remained as CEO of the IP3 subsidiary under Tetra Tech until 2010 and served as Director until early 2013. He joined the Kogod School of Business in the fall of 2013.

Professor White is an active early-stage (angel) investor in the Northern Virginia region investing in many early-stage companies, including ten years with the New Dominion Angels investing group. He dabbles in investing in equity crowdfunding platforms and has invested in two early-stage investment funds (K Street Capital $25m Seed Stage Capital Fund I and MS Evolution Tech Fund III).

Professor White is an active participant in the DMV Startup Ecosystem and DC Startup Week as a presenter, judge, and coach. He mentors 10 – 15 early-stage companies annually.

Professor White previously served as a Board Member and Treasurer to Together-We-Bake, Inc. a non-profit providing life education and baking skills training to women recently released from prison.
For the Media
To request an interview for a news story, call AU Communications at 202-885-5950 or submit a request.

Teaching

Fall 2024

  • KSB-112 Business Profession/Comms 1.0

  • MGMT-380 Intro to Entrepreneurship

  • MGMT-483 Entrepreneurship Business Plan

2024 Term 4

  • MGMT-661 Entrep Pract: New Venture Plan

Spring 2025

  • HNRS-398 Honors Challenge Course

  • MGMT-380 Intro to Entrepreneurship

  • MGMT-483 Entrepreneurship Business Plan