Dr. Tony Mendes is the director of the Murphy Center for Entrepreneurship and professor of management at the University of North Texas. He has more than 20 years experience designing and developing national programs in entrepreneurship, health and wellness.

Prior to his post, he served as executive director of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In his role, Mendes was responsible for the integration of entrepreneurship curriculum in all of the academic units of the university. During his tenure, the university achieved national status for entrepreneurship education by the Princeton Review & Entrepreneur Magazine, Fortune Magazine and the National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers.

Mendes holds a Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Missouri, Kansas City, and an MBA from Rockhurst University. He serves on the U.S. Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship board of directors and other organizations supporting entrepreneurship education.