Chuck Auster (A72) Endows ELS Auster Family Lectureship

Since its inception seven years ago, the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program at Tufts has been a success, providing courses and bringing events to campus that showcase the impact of entrepreneurship on society. More and more students partake in this program each year, and an increasing number of alumni are becoming involved. With only a few years in existence, the program has grown exponentially, but credit needs to be given to those who ensure this success. I sat down with Entrepreneurial Leadership advisory board member Chuck Auster (A72), whose insight into the program has helped it grow and reach outstanding heights. This advisory board member has worked diligently and shares his values to improve what is an already successful program.

Mr. Auster graduated from Tufts in 1972. As a student, he took on leadership roles in various organizations and strived to connect with professors to make his time at the school more fulfilling. He always valued his ability to work and soon began to earn a salary working while still at school. He carried this mentality with his first job out of law school as part of a law firm. He then realized that law was not what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, so he moved to the corporate world when he began working at First Corp Quicksilver, a company that handled investment for venture capital funding. As an entrepreneur, however, he was not comfortable in a large corporate setting and through various career moves eventually became executive vice president and part of the Board of Directors for AmeriTrade, Inc., an international trade and investment banking firm. Also as a founding partner in Andes Equity Partners, Ltd., he helped start the South American Private Equity Growth Fund, LP, a $150 million overseas private investment corporation that guaranteed direct investment funds for Latin America. He is now a partner at One Equity Partners, the private equity arm of JP Morgan Chase, and continues his career as a seasoned deal maker who always strives for success.

His entrepreneurial skills make him an ideal person to be one of the leaders in the development of the entrepreneurship program at Tufts. With his experience, it is no surprise that he has become an integral part of the Entrepreneurship advisory board. He values the lessons that the program offers students interested in entrepreneurship, stating that "It helps [students] develop a sense of independence and leadership so that when they are thrown into difficult situations in the business world, they can figure out solutions and adequately handle their challenges." These are values that he carried when leaving Tufts as a young adult stepping into the corporate world, and are now lessons that he wants to incorporate into the program.

The program curriculum is also being expanded with Mr. Auster heading the curriculum subcommittee of the advisory board. More events are being organized, such as the Lyon & Bendheim Lecture Series, the business plan competitions, as well as lectures, internships and mentorships from prominent alumni. One hope of Mr. Auster's is that in the near future, the program will develop into a structured department. It already shows some signs of that kind of growth. However, Mr. Auster does not forget to give credit to Pamela Goldberg, director of the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. He calls her "An outstanding leader who has brought activities together to push the program forward and strengthen it." As a member of the advisory board, he acknowledges the work of the team and understands that there is still a lot to be done. In response, he has extended his leadership to endow the Auster Family Lectureship in the Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. With the range of leadership and entrepreneurial work he has done throughout his career, Mr. Auster is a perfect fit for the entrepreneurial leadership program and a valuable voice on the advisory board.