User:MaryGaulke/sandbox/Cliff Oxford

Cliff Oxford is an entrepreneur, educator, writer, and founder of the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs.

Oxford grew up in Waycross, Georgia. He has a bachelor’s degree from West Georgia College and an M.B.A. from Emory University. In college, he began his career by working as a driver for UPS and worked his way up through the company to become a regional technology director. In 1995, he left UPS to start STI Knowledge, an information technology company that made the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America three years in a row. After selling the company in 2003, he endowed Emory University with a multi-million-dollar investment to start an M.B.A. program for entrepreneurs known as the Oxford Center, which was founded in 2008. The for-profit Oxford Center is designed to connect postgraduate students with successful entrepreneurs through apprenticeships and mentoring. In 2014, Oxford launched the first fully accredited Entrepreneur M.B.A. program, at Brenau University. The Oxford at Brenau program specializes in helping entrepreneurs who are experiencing rapid growth successfully cultivate their businesses.

In 2004, Oxford campaigned to replace Zell Miller as a U.S. Senator from Georgia, and was defeated in a runoff for the Democratic nomination by Rep. Denise Majette. Also in 2004, he launched The Home Shoppe, a remodeling and home repair company. In 2008, he created The Next Tycoon, a reality television series featuring competing entrepreneurs. From 2012 to 2014, Oxford contributed to The New York Times’ You’re the Boss blog, writing about topics like the difference between “H.R. Happy” and “High Performance Happy.” In 2013, the Oxford Center for Entrepreneurs acquired local news and culture site What Now Atlanta, for which Oxford serves as publisher. Since 2014, Oxford has been a regular contributor to Forbes.