Our Mission
SoCal Celebrates Entrepreneurship (SCCE) is an organization that champions, equips, and celebrates individuals who embody the entrepreneurial spirit, regardless of stage, background, or education across Southern California.
SCCE believes entrepreneurs are change makers that can shape and build communities to be locally, regionally, and globally competitive.
Through our annual events, conferences and partnerships, we empower, encourage and educate entrepreneurs.
Meet the Executive Committee
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Mario Reza
Interim Director, Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship, Chapman University
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Karl Hoenecke
Dean, School of Business & Economics, Concordia University Irvine
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Cynthia West, Ph.D.
Keynote Speaker on AI and Ethics, Entrepreneur, Angel Investor, CynthiaWestPhD.com
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Wade Martin
Professor of Economics and Director, Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, CSU Long Beach
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Mary Patrick Kavanaugh
Director of Innovation, Entrepreneurship + Special Projects, Soka University
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David Ochi
Business Faculty, Saddleback College
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Travis Lindsay
Co-Founder, Titan Angels LLC
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Elianne Rodriguez
Director, LEEAF Accelerator & Fellowship, CSU Los Angeles
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Barry Sandrew, Ph.D.
Director of Entrepreneurship, Westcliff University
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John Russo
Professor, Irvine Valley College
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Gia Ly
Managing Director, ArrowGTP
Support Committee
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Corona Shaihor
Art Director & Marketing Manager, ArrowGTP
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Charmaine Pimentel
Marketing Coordinator, ArrowGTP
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Dominic Enriquez
Logistics Coordinator, ArrowGTP
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Joy Loo
Logistics Coordinator, ArrowGTP
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Mayan Jimenez
Coordinator, CSUF Center for Entrepreneurship
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Christiana Patton
Administrative Assistant, CUI School of Business & Economics
Our Story
Building Together
SoCal Celebrates Entrepreneurship (SCCE) traces its roots back more than 20 years, when a group of Orange County university and college entrepreneurship directors and faculty began meeting informally over lunch every six months. Those gatherings sparked a simple but powerful idea: we should do something together.
In 2020, the inaugural event started as Orange County Celebrates Entrepreneurs. In 2023, the vision expanded to include sister programs from Los Angeles, growing into today’s regional celebration of innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurial spirit.
SCCE is the result of months of planning and the collective effort of countless contributors. With more than 600 participants, it truly takes a village to bring this event to life.
We proudly honor our Co‑Founders and Past Collaborators, whose leadership and dedication shaped the foundation of SCCE:
John Bradley Jackson, Former Director, Center for Entrepreneurship, California State University, Fullerton
Matthew Hanson, Director, New Ventures, UCI Beall Applied Innovation, University of California, Irvine
George W. Wright, Former Dean, School of Business and Economics, Concordia University, Irvine
Wade Martin, Managing Director CSUN Innovation Incubator, California State University, Long Beach
Travis Lindsay, Co-Founder, Titan Angels LLC
Keith Pham, Adjunct Professor, Argyros College of Business & Economics, Chapman University
Barry Lieberman, Adjunct Professor, Orfalea School of Business, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Cathleen Greiner, Director, Education and Center for Entrepreneurship, North Orange County Community College District
Kenneth Lamb, Former Director, Student Innovation Idea Lab, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Nastaran Simarasl, Associate Professor, Strategic Management and Entrepreneurship, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Ryan Foland, Director, ANTrepreneur Center, University of California, Irvine
Stefani Rios, Former Program Coordinator, ANTrepreneur Center, University of California, Irvine
Timothy Tiemann, Managing Director, Innovation Incubator, California State University, Northridge