From serving as an elected member of Associated Students (Warren College Student Senator for 2+ years), to organizing the time capsule project at Price Center, to working as a residence adviser, Matthew Lehrer, ’91, took full advantage of leadership opportunities while at UCSD.

So it’s no surprise that Lehrer, 36, is now president and CEO of a rapidly-growing company, Teamwork Athletic Apparel, and earning accolades for his leadership, including the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2002 and San Diego Magazine’s “40 under 40” in 2003. This year, Lehrer also completed the prestigious “Birthing of Giants” entrepreneurial program at MIT.

Lehrer and his wife, Violet, recently provided a $30,000 gift to endow the Violet and Matthew ’91 Lehrer Scholarship, which supports student leaders as part of the UCSD Alumni Association’s new Leadership Scholarship program. Lehrer is a member of the UCSD Legacy Society and a life member of the UCSD Alumni Association. He is also a donor at the Chancellor’s Associates level.

How did your UCSD engineering education provide you the skills you need to run a successful business?
As an engineering student, I had to make the mental shift from micro to macro on a regular basis. As a CEO, I have to think about today and five years from now on a regular basis. My engineering degree gave me a foundation in critical thinking that I use virtually every day as a CEO. Besides, if you can make it through “complex variable analysis,” you can make it through anything.

Why did you choose to create a scholarship specifically for student leaders?
I believe that the college years are far bigger than simple classroom learning. My classroom experience taught me that I can learn anything. But my leadership activities taught me how to use that knowledge to really make a difference.

Why was it important to you to include UCSD in your estate plan?
Hopefully, my estate plan will be meaningless for at least another 60 years! But I am a big believer in university education, so including UCSD in my will gives me peace of mind that some of my current successes will be helpful for many generations to come.

What’s next for you?
I would like to lead my company toward its goal of outfitting one million sports teams a year, while also being named as one of the best companies to work for in America. For fun, I am working toward my commercial pilot license and “studying” for my retirement career as a professional poker player!