New leadership for K-12 initiatives, Business Development Published September 13, 2023

Rose State College recently announced a pair of new hires to bolster programs in business and education.

Matthew Weinrich, a licensed principal, will be serving as Director of K-12 Initiatives.

In this role, Weinrich will continue running the popular summer program, Kids College. As Director, Weinrich will also partner with community stakeholders to develop other K-12 programming for after school and weekends throughout the calendar year.

“Matt’s prior experience as an athletic director and middle school teacher provides him with the necessary tools to succeed in his new position as Director of K-12 Initiatives,” Rose State President Dr. Jeanie Webb said.

“We are excited for Matt to step into this new role on our campus and look forward to the new programming he will develop throughout the year.”

An Oklahoma State University graduate, Weinrich taught computer science at Western Oaks Middle School in the Putnam City School District for the past 15 years while also serving as an athletic director. He steps into this role with the necessary knowledge and experience to work with and inspire students attending K-12 programs.

Weinrich and his wife, Danielle, have two boys, Elijah and August. In his spare time, Weinrich enjoys sports, writing, coaching, Marvel movies and jumping in puddles with his sons.

In other news, Rose State recently hired Ethan Biller as the Center Director of the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center Network (SBDC).

“Ethan’s rich background in entrepreneurship brings an invaluable resource to our Small Business Development Center network,” President Webb said.

“We are excited to have Ethan step into the role as Center Director and look forward to his leadership in the counseling, planning and development of the Aerospace and Cybersecurity Business Incubator as we continue to expand the SBDC programs and goals.”

The SBDC office provides one-on-one counseling, research and referral services for small business owners and entrepreneurs. Conferences, management seminars and monthly workshops are also provided. SBDC advisors aid business owners with business plan development, capital resources, cost analysis, financial analysis, marketing assessments and more.

In his role as Center Director, Biller will work closely with his team to serve clients in the metro Oklahoma City area with a focus on technology commercialization.

Biller comes into this role with an educational background in Business Administration with a focus on accounting. His entrepreneurial background encompasses fields such as the arts, personalized fashion and community outreach. He spent six years in South Korea teaching elementary school English and used his time there to learn the local language and plant himself in the start-up community. Most recently, he helped his wife run her farm-to-market cut flower farm.

The Oklahoma SBDC provides confidential, high-quality, no-cost entrepreneurial and small business management advice in order to help Oklahomans start and grow businesses. We are committed to growing Oklahoma's economy one small business at a time.

The services offered by the Oklahoma SBDC are provided to Oklahoma businesses at no cost through funding in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration, State of Oklahoma and other public partners.

The Rose State SBDC is located on campus in the Rose State STEM Building. For more information, visit oksbdc.org.