STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Charles Wohl has been named Director of Tarleton State University’s Small Business Development Center, taking the reins November 20.
“This is a great opportunity to help grow small business by leveraging the university’s research and expertise with the Small Business Administration’s resources to assist companies within the surrounding rural communities,” said Wohl.
Prior to joining Tarleton State, Wohl was a business Adjunct Instructor at Schreiner University and an investor in and consultant to small and early-stage companies in the areas of business development, strategy, technology commercialization, manufacturing and operations.
“We are very excited to have Mr. Wohl on board,” said Dr. Rupa Iyer, Vice President for Research, Innovation and Economic Development. “His vast experience in mentoring and training entrepreneurs in the innovation ecosystem will be a real asset to SBDC and Tarleton.”
Wohl retired as the Vice President of Innovation for the Don Ryan Center for Innovation in Bluffton, S.C. Previously, he was the Executive Director of Texas Capital Network, helping connect growth-stage companies to capital.
He also launched HTC North, a technology-focused entrepreneurial incubator in The Woodlands and surrounding area that developed clients for the Houston Technology Center. Client companies raised over $20 million in the first three years of operation. He designed a series of regularly scheduled events, Innovators in the Woods, that attracted entrepreneurs, investors, civic leaders and service providers.
The program added faculty and students from Sam Houston State University and a cadre of high school students interested in learning about the business of technology as a way to encourage STEM education.
Wohl completed his undergraduate degree at California State University, Long Beach and postgraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Southern California. He is a named inventor on numerous patents and a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Angel Capital Association.
He has been active in the Texas start-up community as a mentor and judge for multiple programs at UT Austin, Texas A&M University and Rice University along with the Regional Clean Tech Open program.
He is a member of Kerrville First United Methodist Church and a volunteer committee chairman for the PGA Tour Champions Insperity Invitational Golf Tournament. He has been a district committee member on numerous councils of the Boy Scouts of America.The SBDC mission since its inception in 1987 has been to provide consulting, training and research for start-ups and existing small businesses in pursuit of economic opportunities for the region and beyond.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.