CEO Club
CEO Club at Chapman University is a leadership and entrepreneurship community dedicated to connecting ambitious students, founders, and future executives through networking, collaboration, and professional development opportunities. I was the president and founder of the organization, leading its vision, building its community, and creating opportunities for students to develop leadership skills, gain real-world business experience, and turn ideas into impactful ventures.
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Problem
Chapman had strong entrepreneurship resources — incubators, competitions, faculty support — but no centralized student-led community connecting aspiring founders. Students interested in startups were isolated across majors, disconnected from professionals, and unaware of pathways into the university's programs. Entrepreneurial energy existed — but it wasn't organized.
Solution
I founded the Chapman CEO Club — a student-led organization designed to build a collaborative founder community, connect students with industry professionals, and create a clear funnel into Chapman's incubator and accelerator programs. Within one year we grew to 150 active members. I also designed Artistic Innovations — a signature cross-industry event series spanning Music, Film, and Fashion — merging entrepreneurship with creative industries and building real networking infrastructure between students and professionals.
Design Process
I built the club from zero, structuring its mission, recruiting the executive team, and designing operational roles across marketing, partnerships, and events. I coordinated directly with the Leatherby Entrepreneurship Center to position the club as a pre-incubator community — not a casual student group. Each Artistic Innovations event was designed around a keynote from an industry veteran, live startup demos, and an open networking mixer, creating a repeatable format that scaled across three industries.
Input
I led every dimension of the club's founding — organizational design, speaker acquisition, event production, and institutional integration. I secured speakers including a former manager of Sabrina Carpenter, the co-founder of Billabong and Hurley, and the founder of THEMSKATES. I partnered with student startups, publications, and creative organizations across each event. Upon stepping down, I transitioned leadership to a full executive team that has since launched new programs including Ignite, a collaborative venture-building initiative.