The Entrepreneurial Management Center is proud to announce the 13th year of the L. Robert Payne Distinguished Entrepreneur Lecture Series, with a lecture taking place Tuesday, Nov. 17.

The lecture series brings an outstanding entrepreneur to San Diego State University to speak to and interact with students, faculty and invited business representatives from the regional entrepreneurial community.

This year, Tina Nova, co-founder, president, CEO and director of Genoptix Inc. will speak. She will share stories of her challenges and successes and offer words of wisdom. The lecture and reception take place from 4 - 7 p.m. in the Aztec Athletic Center Auditorium. To RSVP for the event, click here.

About the series

The lecture series was established in 1996 with a gift from SDSU alumnus Bob Payne, a successful entrepreneur and long-time supporter of the Entrepreneurial Management Center. Past lecturers include:

• Norm Brinker, former chairman of Brinker International
• Jim Sinegal, president and CEO of Costco
• John Moores, founder of Peregrine Systems & former chairman of the Padres
• John Sarkisian, co-founder, Pat & Oscar's Restaurants
• Irwin Jacobs, chairman and CEO of QUALCOMM
• Robert J. Nugent, former chairman and CEO of Jack in the Box
• Russell Lewis, founder and CEO of Rhino Linings
• Robert Beyster, founder of SAIC
• Ron Fowler, chairman and CEO of Liquid Investments Inc.

The event consists of a lecture from 4 - 5:30 p.m., followed by a reception from 5:30 - 7 p.m. Additionally, based upon their availability, previous speakers have participated in a luncheon with EMC directors and other distinguished guests, and/or an informal roundtable session with a small group of select entrepreneurship students.

About Nova

Tina S. Nova has served as Genoptix president, CEO and a member of the board of directors, since March 2000. From 1994 to January 2000, Nova served as chief operating officer and president of Nanogen Inc., a provider of molecular diagnostic tests, where she was a co-founder.

From 1992 to 1994, Nova served as chief operating officer of Selective Genetics, a targeted therapy biotechnology company. Nova holds a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences from the University of California Irvine and a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of California Riverside.

About Genoptix

Genoptix is a specialized laboratory service provider focused on delivering personalized and comprehensive diagnostic services to community-based hematologists and oncologists.

Genoptix' highly trained hematopathologists utilize sophisticated technology to provide integrated testing and actionable diagnostic reports. Its diagnostic services are designed to optimize the care of patients suffering from hematomalignancies, or cancers of the blood and bone marrow, including leukemia and lymphoma. 

Co-founded by Nova in 2000, Genoptix completed its initial public offering in November 2007 and has been profitable since the first quarter of that year. Genoptix is a member the S&P SmallCap 600 Index and is headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif.. For more information, please visit www.genoptix.com.