Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship & Business Ethics
»Our Team
The Ralph W. Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics
Mario Reza
Interim Director
Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics
mreza@chapman.eduMario Reza serves as Interim Director of the Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship
and Business Ethics at Chapman University. He supports student, alumni, and community
entrepreneurs through founder programming, mentorship, workshops, pitch competitions,
and regional small business initiatives. Mario brings experience across product management,
technology, marketing, business development, and startup operations, with a focus
on helping founders move from early ideas to practical next steps. As a local resident,
he is especially interested in strengthening the Center’s role as a resource for students,
faculty, entrepreneurs, and the broader Orange County entrepreneurial community. Mario
earned his B.S. in Product Design from Stanford University.
Sarah Solorio
Community & Program Engagement Consultant
Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics
saso79941@chapman.eduSarah Solorio serves as the Community and Program Engagement Consultant for the Leatherby
Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics, where she supports founder engagement,
mentor connections, community partnerships, and programming designed to help entrepreneurs
access resources and capital-readiness support. A Chapman University alumna, Sarah
brings a background in higher education, community programs, business consulting,
student success, and entrepreneurial ecosystem building. Her work focuses on connecting
and educating students, founders, mentors, and local partners in ways that help entrepreneurs
refine their ideas and strengthen their ventures. Sarah earned her B.A. in Business
Administration from Chapman University and her M.A. in Management from the University
of York.
Kendal Roney
Marketing Intern
Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics
kroney@chapman.eduKendal Roney, a spirited senior at Chapman University, devotes her time in the realm of business with a focus in Entrepreneurship and Cultural and Creative Industries/Visual Journalism. Her passion to pursue these studies is fueled by her drive to help others. She is a proud part of the team at the Leatherby Center, dedicated to promoting a place of drive and inspiration through creative mediums such as email campaign development, flyer design, and content creation.
Kendal is also a Chapman Ambassador, fidelity chair of Gamma Phi Beta, and an active member of Chapman’s Entrepreneur Organization. She hopes to utilize these experiences to propel her own ventures in health and wellness and beyond.
Maddie Casserly
Marketing Intern
Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics
mcasserly@chapman.eduMaddie Casserly is a passionate third-year Business Administration major at Chapman
University, emphasizing Marketing and minoring in Advertising. At the Leatherby Center,
she brings energy and creativity to her role as Marketing Intern, designing promotional
content, highlighting mentors, coordinating event logistics, and expanding outreach
through flyers and LinkedIn posts.
Known for her organizational skills and inventive marketing ideas, Maddie thrives
in fast-paced environments where she can help events run seamlessly and make meaningful
connections. Outside the Center, she’s involved in Delta Sigma Pi, serves as an intern
with YoungLife, and volunteers on Dodge College student films. Maddie aspires to work
at a marketing or PR firm or eventually run her own business, blending creativity
with strategic impact.
LinkedIn
Jayden Usher
Data Analytics Intern
Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics
usherburke@chapman.eduJay Usher is a final-year Business Administration student emphasizing Management at
Chapman University’s Argyros College of Business and Economics, with a strong interest
in financial operations and entrepreneurship.
At the Leatherby Center, he serves as a Data Analytics Intern, building the Center’s data infrastructure across HubSpot, Excel, Power BI, Power Automate, and Outlook to create a unified system for tracking program outcomes. Outside the Center, he is actively developing his own venture in the payment operations space for eCommerce brands. Jay strives to continue building and delivering work he can stand behind.
LinkedIn
At the Leatherby Center, he serves as a Data Analytics Intern, building the Center’s data infrastructure across HubSpot, Excel, Power BI, Power Automate, and Outlook to create a unified system for tracking program outcomes. Outside the Center, he is actively developing his own venture in the payment operations space for eCommerce brands. Jay strives to continue building and delivering work he can stand behind.
Ralph W. Leatherby
The Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics is a prominent center
for entrepreneurial education at Chapman University’s Argyros School of Business and
Economics. Our Center was founded with a $3 million endowment by Ralph W. Leatherby
in 1995.
Ralph Leatherby was an Orange County businessman and patriarch of the philanthropic
Leatherby family. He served as chair of the Advisory Board of the George L. Argyros
School of Business and Economics in the 1980s. Later, he was a trustee of the then-named
Chapman College. Ralph was the first Director of the Center in 1995.
Ralph was born in 1925 in a small farm town in Iowa. He served in World War II as
a member of the U.S. Army infantry. He founded the Leatherby Insurance Company in
Fullerton, California. Later, he founded UniCare Insurance, which was at one time
the largest insurance firm in Orange County.
Today, the Center plays a vital role in empowering the next generation of talent to
have an entrepreneurial mindset and participate in the global economy.