Silicon Valley CEO Coming Back to Wichita as Barton School’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence
March 1, 2023
By Barton School of Business
About the W. Frank Barton School of Business
Located in Kansas’ business hub and with significant ties to the business community,
the W. Frank Barton School of Business provides extensive applied learning opportunities.
With in-person and online options, Barton School undergraduate and graduate programs
are tailored to transform the lives of its students. It also holds a double AACSB
accreditation for business and accounting, which puts it in the top 1% of business
schools worldwide. The Barton School was established as the university’s College of
Business Administration and Industry in 1926 and has thousands of graduates around
the world.
The W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University has announced Susan
Thomas, founder and CEO of 10Fold, will serve as the college’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence for the Spring 2023 semester.
Thomas is from Newton, KS and began her college education at Wichita State. She founded
10Fold in 1995 and the company is now ranked among the top eight percent of independently
owned communications firms exclusively focused on business-to-business technology
in the U.S. (IBISWorld, 2020).
““I’m excited to meet with the WSU community to share the insights I’ve gained as
a long-time Silicon Valley entrepreneur, investor and marketing professional,” said
Thomas. “Marketing has evolved in some extraordinary ways over the past 25 years with
many new advancements to come. In addition to the lessons I’ve learned, I look forward
to revealing the innovations that I believe will have the greatest impact in the next
five years.”
As the Barton School’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Thomas will deliver a keynote presentation
on March 22 titled “An Entrepreneur’s Journey: Finding the Why to Drive Your Success.”
This event is open to the public and will include a networking reception with Thomas
afterwards. In addition, she will participate in other presentations on innovation
and marketing, as well as engagements with students in mentoring and networking session
and exchange ideas with the Barton School’s leadership team and faculty.
“All those who attend Susan’s events, especially the March 22 keynote presentation,
is in for a treat,” said Dr. Larisa Genin, Dean of the Barton School. “She is a top
leader in her industry and has a wealth of knowledge on how our most vital industries
are innovating.”
10Fold is a communications agency in Silicon Valley that has helped create billions
of dollars for clients in corporate valuation and 10Fold has won nearly six dozen
industry awards for service excellence. Current clients include three “Unicorn Companies”
and three multi-billion-dollar industry leaders, along with dozens of other rising
tech stars.
Susan has won a dozen awards for her leadership including the Lifetime Achievement
Award from Vistage. She is a limited partner in two funds for ParTech Venture Capital
based in Paris, France. Susan also serves on the advisory board for LaborIQ by ThinkWhy,
the Heritage Commerce Bank and the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Barton School. She
earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Business from Emporia State
University. She then went on to earn a Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational
Psychology from the University of Tulsa.
“The Barton School’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence program is bringing unique opportunities
for our students, faculty, staff and community to interact with global leaders,” said
Dr. Shirley Lefever, Executive Vice President and Provost at Wichita State. “We’re
excited to have Susan back on campus to share her inspiring experiences.”
Please RSVP here for her March 22 keynote presentation.
