Trey Bowles is a serial entrepreneur, social capitalist, and educator. Trey cofounded the Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC), a central location for entrepreneurs to learn how to start, build and grow businesses through training, education, mentorship, promotion, and capital investment. As Co-Founder and CEO, Trey leads strategy, vision, and drives the overall planning and development efforts for the DEC. Trey also works closely with the DEC staff to engage executives, mentors and other valuable experts within the Dallas community and across the country to maintain a strong and robust resource offering for DEC startups/members). Under Bowles’ leadership, the DEC launched a public private partnership called the Dallas Innovation Alliance (with partners like The City of Dallas, IBM, AT&T, Cisco, Schneider Electric, Microsoft, DART, Dallas Regional Chamber, Downtown Dallas Inc. and more) to help design, develop and launch a Smart Cities in Dallas starting in the West End Historic District and moving out across the city in a multi-phased approach.

In addition to his work with the DEC, Trey worked closely with the Startup America Partnership, a non-profit organization started by Steve Case and the Kauffman Foundation, leading a team of entrepreneurial experts across the country to help high-growth startups find greater success. Trey also launched the Arts Entrepreneurship Department in the Meadows School of Arts at Southern Methodist University and currently serves as an Adjunct Professor on staff. Bowles also cofounded the Mayor’s Star Council with Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas to find a culturally diverse and civically minded group of emerging leaders who want to embrace and engage the City of Dallas as opposed to inheriting the city in 20 years.

Trey lives in Dallas with his wife and two children and is committed to helping build a collaborative ecosystem at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship and education within the DFW Metroplex.