New director is named at ND’s Gigot Center

Patrick J. Barry, a 1984 University of Notre Dame graduate and expert in small business, has
been named the new director of the university’s Gigot Center for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Prior to his appointment, Barry taught as an adjunct professor in the Mendoza College and advised a number of startup ventures as a principal and founder of Arete Advisors, a management consultancy. Barry also founded and served as principal of The Keystone Group,
a Chicago-based management consulting firm. He was a senior vice president at Quality Dining Inc., a national restaurant franchisee company.

Barry earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Notre Dame and a master’s degree in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

He takes over the directorship from James H. Davis, who previously served as director of the Gigot Center while teaching on a half-time appointment as a management professor.

The director’s job was restructured to be a full-time position to accommodate the growing demands of the center and the increasing interest in entrepreneurial studies. Davis will continue as an adviser to the center.The Gigot Center was established 10 years ago. The center recently added a two-semester microventuring course that focuses on starting microenterprises, which are socially minded, sustainable business ventures started with few resources in impoverished communities.

The center also is involved in the Innovation Park at Notre Dame project, under construction
just south of campus. The park is designed to help convert promising technology ideas into
marketable businesses that can later be relocated to the local community. The complex will
provide space for Notre Dame faculty and students, as well as resources and customized
services for entrepreneurs and others from the private sector.

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