L.A. Center For Family Business Director Loves His Career Choice
Edward Hart is the director of the Center for Family Business at Cal State Fullerton Mihaylo College of Business and Economics and President of Hart Professional Services, Management Consulting and Executive Coaching. Hart leads a 20-year-old program that creates educational opportunities and consulting for family owned companies in Southern California. The program leads these owners in succession planning, leadership development, next generation preparation, retirement planning, etc. They conduct monthly workshops with expert speakers, small groups, one-on-one coaching and much more.
Hart has a degree in business management from Pepperdine University and has taken several advanced and executive education programs at USC. He also teaches Sports Management in the Post Graduate Sports Management program at UC Riverside. Hart teaches 10-15 international students each quarter.
What are the scope and responsibilities of your current role?
"As the director of the Center, I create all the leadership curriculum, monthly workshops, oversee all small groups and hire facilitators and speakers. I'm also responsible for all business development and fundraising for the Center. I created a Family Business Hall of Fame on OC earlier this year, and had Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss as our inaugural keynote speaker. In my role as President of Hart Professional Services, I lead executives in developing personal and organizational leadership plans, strategic planning, personal development, and team building."
What is your favorite part of your daily duties?
"I literally love everything I do! I get to assist people with their journey to excellence and success. My favorite part of my work is that I get to watch as family business leaders learn things that can apply in their daily work as well as in the future of their organizations and families. Everything we do is driven by maintaining family harmony and business success."
Do you feel your education prepared you for your current role?
"Absolutely. I learned in school the importance of listening to others, processing the information I receive and then working towards a solution as a team. I also gained a tremendous amount of confidence in my abilities because my professors at Pepperdine and USC taught me how to think, how to respond and how to find solutions rather than just diagnosing and prescribing."
Do you have any advice for people who desire to pursue a similar career?
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