David Park loves to learn. Indeed, his decision to become an entrepreneurship professor is rooted in that love. He joined the Whitman School faculty in September 2017 as an assistant professor of entrepreneurship.

“I am an avid learner. Especially, I love to study business and entrepreneurship because it changes so rapidly, and there are so many things that we don’t know yet,” he says. “I also learn when I teach. When I teach, I get a better and clearer understanding of the subject matter.”

Park says that one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching is to see students’ eyes light up when they gain fresh perspectives or learn new things. His teaching is their reward, too. It’s one reason he was honored in 2018 as one of the top 50 undergraduate business professors in the world by Poets&Quants for Undergrads, a website devoted to offering information and counseling to those interested in business school education.

“Professor Park demonstrated extraordinary effectiveness to teach by inspiring and guiding our creativity,” said a student. “Within each teaching module, his message was consistent: We can accomplish our goals by thinking critically and never quitting.”

“I specifically enrolled in the Whitman School of Management in large part for its reputation and the prestige of the professors,” said another student. “Throughout my first year, I had plenty of different experiences with my professors, and while most were favorable, Professor Park’s teaching style and course, Introduction to Entrepreneurship, was what I came to Whitman for. Through group building and actual real-life scenarios, my classmates and I were able to achieve experience that will no doubt be useful in a job atmosphere.”

In addition to teaching, Park explores topics related to strategy and entrepreneurship, as well as new venture finance. His research focuses on how entrepreneurs raise money for their ventures.

“Having a personal experience with raising money for an entrepreneurial venture, I am interested in entrepreneurial finance,” he says. “Another stream of my research focuses on the role of beliefs and preferences of business decision makers, such as top managers and directors on the board. Particularly, I examine political ideology of these people and how it influences organizational decisions.”

PROFESSOR PARK’S TEACHING STYLE AND COURSE, INTRODUCTION TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP, WAS WHAT I CAME TO WHITMAN FOR." —a student

Park earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Seoul and a master’s of science in international business at Seoul National University in Korea. He received a Ph.D. in strategy and entrepreneurship from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington. He previously served as an officer in the R.O.K. Marine Corps. “As much as I love intellectual exercises, such as learning and thinking, I enjoy physical exercises, including swimming, running and weight training,” he says. “Once a Marine, always a Marine.”