Position: President-Elect

Dr. Jeffrey R. Alves
Dean, Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership at Wilkes University [Resume (pdf)]

Affiliation: USASBE

Dr. Jeffrey R. Alves has dedicated over 30 years to promoting entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprise as the driver of value creation, economic development and improved quality of life. Jeff's involvement in ICSB began in 1998 in the US Affiliate when he returned to academe and attended his first USASBE Conference. By 200O he was Program Chair of the Individual Entrepreneurship Division of USASBE. His active involvement continued and culminated in serving as President of USASBE in 2008. He has served on the Board of Directors of ICSB since 2007, initially representing USASBE and more recently serving as Director-at-Large (2010 - 2011) and Senior Vice President of Finance and Control (2011 - present).

Jeff recently wrote me the following: "The opportunity to work with so many dedicated and committed professionals in bringing the message that SME and entrepreneurship can lead communities and the world to a better life is very exciting to me. ICSB offers such an opportunity which is why I am excited by its possibilities and potential. My recent experience in Egypt and India reinforces this excitement. I look forward to helping to lead a very strong Board of Directors and affiliate network in promoting this vision."

Jeff was recently appointed Dean of the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership at Wilkes University. Before that he was Director of the Allan P. Kirby Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship and the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship at Wilkes University. During his tenure at Wilkes University he was responsible for the creation of entrepreneurship major and minor programs as well as integrating entrepreneurship into the required 1st year Sidhu School courses and the undergraduate engineering capstone experience. Prior to joining Wilkes University in 1997 he was President of Vergason Technology, Inc., a small, rapidly growing technology-based company named to the "Fast-Track 500" as one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the United States. From 1983 to 1996 he was a principal in four entrepreneurial ventures and was a corporate development manager at Corning Inc.

As Assistant Professor of Finance and Entrepreneurial Studies at Babson College from 1978 through 1983, he developed and taught the capstone courses for one of the first entrepreneurship undergraduate majors and graduate concentrations in the U.S.

Dr. Alves earned his B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy, M.B.A. from Southern Illinois University and Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. He is the author of numerous books and professional articles related to small business failure prediction, entrepreneurship, small business management, and management and entrepreneurship pedagogy.

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