HU Foundation Breakfast to Focus on Entrepreneurship

The Huntington University Foundation breakfast on Wednesday, April 8, will focus cultivating entrepreneurial activity in the region. Featured speakers will be Karl LaPan, president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (NIIC), and Dr. Ann McPherren, HU’s vice president for strategy and graduate/adult programs.

Named as one of the top four “Best Under the Radar Business Incubators” in the country by Entrepreneur Magazine in 2013, the NIIC provides best-in-class service and support for entrepreneurs. 

LaPan is a business professional with more than 27 years of experience in a variety of consumer, industrial, technology and financial industries. In October 2000, he was appointed president and CEO of the Northeast Indiana Innovation Park, a high-tech, 55-acre campus dedicated to accelerating the growth of innovative companies. He received his undergraduate degree in business management from Franklin Pierce University and his master’s degree in human resource development from the American University in Washington, D.C. 

Along with her vice president role, McPherren also serves as professor of business and economics. A long-time resident of Huntington County, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Huntington University. She earned her master’s degree in management science and Doctorate of Education degree in educational administration from Ball State University. McPherren currently serves on the Board of Directors of iAB Financial Bank.

In addition to LaPan and McPherren’s presentations, HU students will share how they are putting their entrepreneurial spirit to work through Huntington University’s new entrepreneurism program and partnership with the NIIC. 

The foundation breakfast is open to the public. It will begin at 7:45 a.m. in the Habecker Dining Commons and conclude by 9:00 a.m. The cost of the breakfast is $7. First-time attendees eat free courtesy of Bailey-Love Mortuary. Foundation breakfasts occur on the second Wednesday of the month, October through May.

RSVPs are requested for the breakfast but are not required. For more information or to RSVP, contact Barb Baker at (260) 359-4069 or bbaker@huntington.edu.

Since 1938, the Huntington University Foundation has assisted Huntington County residents who attend Huntington University through the annual Huntington County Grant and endowed scholarships. Learn more about the foundation’s history and ways to support its goals.