Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship names new managing director

EUGENE, Ore. -- (July 29, 2009) - Terry E. Sebastian has been named managing director of the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship (LCE) at the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business. He will assume his new role on Aug. 3.

A successful principal investor and senior executive in the food industry, Sebastian is a founder and managing director of Lake Pacific Partners LLC, a private equity investment firm focused on consumer products, consumer services and related industries. He will bring his entrepreneurial skills to bear as the director of the center, which, since 1989, has educated, inspired and empowered future entrepreneurs.

"Terry has led successful business turnarounds and growth investments, making him an ideal resource for our center that seeks to instill in its students the ability to inform and evaluate their business ideas with real world perspective," said Dennis Howard, dean of the Lundquist College of Business. "I have no doubt he will further the LCE's reputation as a leader in entrepreneurial education."

Sebastian previously served as senior vice president of Natural Nutrition Group (NNG), a leading manufacturer of branded organic food products, where he led a successful operational turnaround of the Health Valley Company. He also served as an executive with McCain Foods, where he implemented key strategy initiatives and major performance improvements. As a management consultant with the firm of Booz, Allen & Hamilton, he worked on corporate strategy, reorganization and cost-reduction engagements for Fortune 500 clients in several industries.

Sebastian says he understands the needs of the center's constituents, including students, faculty, employers and industry partners.

"I am very excited about this unique opportunity to bring my ongoing business experience to the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship as a resource to build upon its highly regarded experiential learning programs," said Sebastian.

Sebastian earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned his M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. In addition to his current role as managing director of Lake Pacific Partners LLC, he serves as chairman of Maxi Canada, a frozen food company, and is a director of Cal Pacific Specialty Foods, a fruit-based ingredients company, and Gladson, a marketing services company. Sebastian is also a member of Young Presidents' Organization.

Since 1989, the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship has provided students with hands-on learning opportunities that enable them to succeed as innovative, responsible and effective business leaders. Entrepreneur magazine recently named the center 23rd in the nation out of more than 2,300 programs for entrepreneurship education at the graduate level.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Julie Brown, UO media relations, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu

Links: Links: Center for Entrepreneurship, http://lcb.uoregon.edu/lce/; Lundquist College of Business, http://lcb.uoregon.edu/

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