Professor Bill Cockrum
Faculty Advisor

Professor Cockrum has won numerous teaching awards, including recognition as the top entrepreneurial professor in the nation in a survey conducted by Business Week in 1996. He has become a legend for a case-study entrepreneurial finance class he has taught for more than 20 years, teaching students the ins and outs of acquiring and sustaining the financing of a new venture. Prior to joining the UCLA faculty, Cockrum spent 25 years in investment banking, most recently serving in a corporate officer capacity at Becker Paribas, Inc. a 3,000-employee investment banking firm. When the company was sold to Merrill Lynch in 1984, Cockrum began his second career as a professor at UCLA Anderson teaching students the business and finance skills needed to succeed as entrepreneurs. Mr. Cockrum currently teaches entrepreneurial finance, business ethics, and investment management. He also serves as a consultant to chief executive officers in a variety of industries on issues such as organization structure, strategy, marketing, finance, and administration.