While others were celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, a group of academics, business leaders and politicians met at SDSU to discuss forming a Hispanic Entrepreneurial Initiative. “We’re planning a four-pronged approach of research, curriculum development, community outreach and training the next generation of entrepreneurs,” says Lena Rodriguez, the 35-year-old assistant professor spearheading the initiative. She teaches entrepreneurship, organizational behavior and public administration in SDSU’s College of Business.

The meeting brought together campus officials including SDSU President Stephen Weber and business college dean Gail Naughton. Others were Robert Villarreal, San Diego Hispanic Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive; San Diego Councilman Ralph Inzunza; National City Mayor Nick Inzunza; Arturo Rivera, vice president of Washington Mutual regional corporate affairs; Raymond Uceta, the Chicano Foundation’s chief executive; and Leonard Rodriguez, the academic’s father and an Arizona consultant.

Weber calls the initiative “a natural partnership for San Diego State. Since the Hispanic community is so vital, it’s timely to do this now.” He notes that SDSU is second in California and fifth in the nation for the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded to Latinos.

In 2001, figures from the San Diego Association of Governments revealed Hispanics owned 28,087 businesses in San Diego County. The 2000 U.S. Census showed that San Diego ranked third in the state and fifth in the nation in Latino-owned businesses.

The research component of the initiative would strive to update this information to provide more “real-time” statistics, says Rodriguez. With Hispanic population growth, the number of businesses will increase. SDSU wants to assist that entrepreneurial niche.

Naughton, who has her own entrepreneurial background as the founder of a biotech, says SDSU already has the resources to make this venture a success.

“We are seeking to marry the best of our experience with our Entrepreneurial Management Center and our Center for Economic Development to offer all services to new and growing businesses,” says Naughton. “The Hispanic/Latino Community has many family owned businesses, offering unique challenges in hiring, retention, growth and governance. We want our center to offer suggestions, references and research to help such businesses succeed while playing upon our already established joint degree programs in Mexico and Latin and South America to expand our availability to mentors, internships and business partners.”

Villarreal is enthusiastic about his chamber strengthening its connection with SDSU’s business school.

“We as businesses in the Hispanic Chamber would like to be a partner,” he says. He especially looks forward to the prospects of more timely information. “With research, we get a better understanding of the state of Hispanic businesses and whoever is trying to work with Hispanic businesses,” he says. The next step is establishing the details on how the initiative will be structured. “It’s very exciting,” says Villarreal. “Now we just have to get it off the ground.”

He and Rodriguez are working on a survey to be distributed at the Hispanic Chamber’s Latina Conference on May 14 at the University of San Diego’s Manchester Executive Center. Data will be used to plan the content of a pilot program that will debut by summer’s end. Some of the potential offerings are basic, but essential for a start-up business. “Maybe people need to know more about how to get a loan or do a business plan,” says Villarreal.

The Latina survey is just the first phase. Male entrepreneurs won’t be overlooked. If the initiative is successful, Rodriguez says it could eventually expand to other minority business owners. The brainstorming group in March agreed to set objectives within 30 days, by the middle of this month. Also on the agenda is developing a profile for a full-time executive director.

Rodriguez will work with entrepreneurs and practitioners on curriculum development and instruction. For example, she would speak about business depreciation issues while an executive would provide the class with real-world examples.

The Family Makeup

Rodriguez’s interest in entrepreneurship can be traced to her family in Arizona. Her father, Leonard, started two consulting firms in Phoenix. He worked with government agencies and now partners with nonprofit organizations. His father, Rod, has a television repair shop in Tolleson. Wife Nellie’s hair salon is next door.

The assistant professor’s maternal grandparents, Angie and Joe Gama, own a car dealership in Yuma. Rodriguez took a different approach to business. As a student, she drew upon family experiences for class assignments.

She has a bachelor’s degree in business management and a graduate degree in human resource management from Arizona State University. Rodriguez planned to go into law when she enrolled at Creighton University in Omaha. After a year, she realized she enjoyed leading study groups, and participants urged her to become a teacher.

“I was good at explaining concepts, but I was not sure if I would like research,” says Rodriguez. She decided to explore teaching. The University of Nebraska in Omaha had an opening for an urban planning teacher. Although Rodriguez didn’t know much about that subject, she remembered her mother’s adage. JoAnne, a surgical/operating room nurse, told her daughter, “You won’t die from someone telling you ‘No.’”

Rodriguez told the department chair she would teach in exchange for tuition. She got the assignment. “After my first semester teaching, I found my calling.”

Rodriguez felt at home in the classroom. After earning a doctorate in business at the university, she wanted to be closer to her family. SDSU seemed the perfect place and in fall of 2000 she taught her first class.

“I was really excited to see the diverse population — being Hispanic and so many Hispanics on campus,” says Rodriguez, who again takes family experiences to school. “I talk about what I’ve seen in the businesses I grew up around. I bridge the gap between the academic and the real world.”

She’s part of a select group. The PhD Project, an organization focused on increasing the diversity of students in doctoral business programs, reports Hispanics accounted for 29 faculty members with doctorate degrees in business in the United States in 2001. That figure is up since 1998, when the project counted only a dozen. In comparison, 8,154 management faculty in the United States belong to the Academy of Management.

As a newcomer to San Diego, Rodriguez contacted the Hispanic Chamber. “She called and I thought, ‘Wow, this is an incredible business resource,’” says Villarreal. “She’s a good role model for the community.”

He persuaded Rodriguez to speak about entrepreneurism at the 2001 Latina Conference. Rodriguez will speak again when the event is held May 14.

Through chamber activities, Rodriguez discovered the scope of San Diego’s Hispanic businesses. Conference presentations started her thinking that entrepreneurs would benefit from a university center. Naughton, who became dean Aug. 1, gave Rodriguez the go-ahead to explore forming the initiative.

“I met Lena the first week on the job. I spent a part of each day wandering the halls, introducing myself to faculty,” says Naughton, who co-founded Advanced Science Tissues.

The dean asked to sit in on Rodriguez’s OB (Organizational Behavior) Management class. Naughton recalls, “I had a wonderful experience watching her get the students excited about the importance of establishing a culture in a business, and linking the culture to the mission, as well as the company’s reward and hiring system. I was able to share my experiences in my start-up company and quickly became part of a small group in her class addressing hypothetical issues. Lena impressed me as a dedicated and dynamic teacher.”

Weber calls Rodriguez “a great example of the bright young faculty members at SDSU. She’s a very special person. We’re delighted to have her as a bridge to the Hispanic community.”

People on campus weren’t surprised that her father attended the March 17 meeting. She’s an only child, and her parents travel from Arizona for school events. Her father attends meetings. Her mother enjoys watching her daughter teach. “Students love it when I call on her and say, ‘Mom, you had a question?’” says Rodriguez. “My parents have supported me in all my endeavors and have instilled in me the values that have enabled me to achieve my goals.”

Her father even traveled with Rodriguez when she taught courses in SDSU’s MBA program in Taipei, Taiwan. He spoke to students about trends, and both participated in the first graduation. At the March 5 ceremony in San Diego, the professor presented graduates with diplomas while her father gave them SDSU medals.

Rodriguez refers to her father’s philosophy when asked by a student if she considered herself a success. “Success is not measured by the amount of money in your bank account or the number of material items you possess. It is measured by the number of lives you touch with your kindness, genuine concern and love. I only hope that I have touched lives through my professional and personal life.”

Another “family” member is her dog, Sir Elliot Alexander, a shih tzu who sometimes accompanies Rodriguez to campus. His name is not business-related. “I like the name Elliot; he’s very regal,” explains Rodriguez.

Rodriguez also is known for her “OB ball,” a game played mid-semester by students in her organizational behavior class. She developed the game as a doctoral student. “I wanted something outside the classroom walls. I thought football and volleyball were a little more physical. Basketball didn’t involve tackling” she says.

OB ball resembles basketball, with elements of a tournament and elimination. Participation is voluntary and students strategize in class. “Every time I introduce a new topic, I refer to the team activity,” says Rodriguez.

She may be recruited to play on a team. In addition to players, students sign on for positions like cheerleaders or camera operators. “Everyone has an important role. You don’t always have to be in the game,” she says. “They start to get to know each other (and) me. They’re more prepared (for class). I know they don’t want to let me down.” Teams decide whether to practice before the competition held in Peterson Gym.

“The OB ball was a great experience,” says Naughton. The dean played last year on the winning “Pay 4 Performance” team. “It was an exercise which helped to reinforce how various leadership/teamwork styles change in a ‘real-life pressure’ situation.”

Spectators have included David Hampton, management department chair. He says students wrote on comment forms that they enjoyed gaining experience in areas like group decision-making. “In addition to reading about it in a book, they do it and feel it,” he says.

Rodriguez is on the board of the YWCA and the San Diego Foundation’s Organizational Success Board. She has a pilot’s license and enjoys golfing and travel. In addition, Rodriguez began work last fall on a graduate accountancy degree at SDSU. She went back to school so that she could better explain financial concepts. “Being a student and a professor gives me a unique perspective. I tell students that I can empathize with them since I take classes, have a job and juggle a family, which might be a stretch since Elliot is my local family.”