Fox and Temple Mourn the Loss of Business Professor Killed in Tragic Auto Accident
Constantine “Chris” Pavlides, an associate professor in the Fox School of Business at Temple University and founder of the Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group, died Tuesday morning in a single-car crash on Conchester Highway in Concord Township, Delaware County. He was 62.
Mr. Pavlides, a member of the Fox School’s Entrepreneurship Program in the Strategic Management department, had served as executive director of the Fox School’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI). He also introduced the Mid-Atlantic Diamond Ventures, a science and high-technology business cultivator, to the entrepreneurial portfolio of programs in the Fox School at Temple.
During his time as IEI’s director, from 2004 to 2008, Mr. Pavlides elevated the program into the top 10 in the nation.
As founder and chairman of the nonprofit Greater Philadelphia Senior Executive Group, Mr. Pavlides led the largest “C-level” executive networking organization in the tri-state region. The professional association for chiefs of business includes 1,000 members in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.
“He was an enthusiastic advocate for entrepreneurship at Temple, for the subject matter and for the students,” Fox School Dean M. Moshe Porat said of Mr. Pavlides. “He organized executives, he connected the school to business people, and the students loved him. His vibrant teaching style made him complete.”
During his career, Mr. Pavlides held various senior-level positions, including COO and CFO of StrikeForce Technologies, an identity protection and verification company in Edison, N.J., and CFO of high-technology start-up Electron Direct in Wilmington, Del. Earlier, he was managing director of global syndications for AT&T Capital Corp. and vice president of corporate banking for Chase Manhattan Bank.
Mr. Pavlides was chairman of the International Entrepreneurship Interest Group of the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He also served on the Executive Board of the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers and was a member of the Small Business Institute and the International Council for Small Business, among many other leadership positions in business and education.
He established the Temple University Council on Entrepreneurship and was the Greater Philadelphia region’s instructor of the Emerging 200 Initiative, a program by the U.S. Small Business Administration to identify 200 inner-city businesses across the nation that show a high potential for growth and to give them the resources and support to become sustainable.
Mr. Pavlides earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Kutztown University and an MBA in finance and international business from The City University of New York.
Mr. Pavlides, of West Chester, is survived by his wife Charlotte and two children, Charles and Elizabeth. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the cause of the accident. Funeral arrangements are pending.
