Alumni Share Expertise at Entrepreneurship Panel
An alumni entrepreneurship panel will take place 2:30-3:30 p.m. Sept. 26 in the Doug & Diane Villhard Innovation Lab located in the Pickler Memorial Library. The panel will feature four alumni.
Sarah Schlafly (’11)
Entrepreneur, Mighty Cricket
Sarah Schlafly (’11)
Entrepreneur, Mighty Cricket
Schlafly is a serial entrepreneur making waves in the sustainable food industry. She is the founder of Mighty Cricket, a company that transforms crickets into a sustainable and nutritionally-dense protein powder. After successfully securing $1 million in funding, Mighty Cricket is now at the forefront of the edible insect industry, pioneering new research and product development. In addition to her work in the food sector, she also operates companies in the HVAC and legal services industries. She excels at operations and efficiency – scaling small companies into highly profitable businesses poised for exit.
Robert Gayden (’12)
Private Equity, Gayden Capital
Gayden is the president and chief executive officer of BrightStar Care of Greater Waukesha & Lake County, as well as the founder, managing member and president of Gayden Capital, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. At BrightStar Care, he leads the organization’s strategy and operations, providing high-quality home care services throughout Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Through Gayden Capital, Gayden leads the firm’s efforts in deal sourcing, due diligence, capital raising and investment policy. Before founding and leading Gayden Capital, he began his career in banking at the St. Louis and Kansas City offices of Commerce Bank.
Gayden has a Bachelor of Science in business administration from Truman, where he was the senior captain of the varsity football team and earned all-conference honors as a defensive back. Gayden currently serves as a board director for the Truman State University Foundation and is a member of the investment committee. In his spare time, he enjoys staying active and spending time with family and friends. He is passionate about giving back to his community through philanthropic endeavors pertaining to education, human and civil rights, and the arts. Mr. Gayden lives in the West Loop of Chicago, Illinois, with his wife, Dr. Alexis Warren.
Ope Amosu (’10)
Restauranteur, ChòpnBl?k
Growing up as a child of Nigerian immigrants, Amosu personifies the Afro-American crossroads. His upbringing in Houston, Texas, was similar to many of his peers from immigrant families, with heavy doses of Nigerian culture influenced by forces quintessential to the Bayou City. These varied experiences that would eventually drove him to cultivate his heritage-driven hospitality venture, ChòpnBl?k.
After high school, Amosu left Houston for Truman. The experience was a stark contrast to his hometown, placing him in an economically disadvantaged area miles from the nearest airport and mall. Simultaneously, his parents permanently relocated from Houston back to Nigeria, leaving a significant gap in the Nigerian heritage that had been a huge comfort throughout his life. Despite these challenges, Amosu’s time at Truman proved fruitful, solidifying his passion for business and culminating in a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. However, the experience of being separated from his culture stayed with him.
Amosu began his career at Grimco, Inc., a wholesale sign company based in St. Louis, allowing him to stay close to his college sweetheart and now wife, Janelle, who is from the area. The role later facilitated his return to Houston, enabling him to achieve another goal: graduating from Rice University’s prestigious MBA program. At Rice, he focused on energy and entrepreneurship, deeply engaging with campus life. Upon completing the program, Amosu secured a position in General Electric’s executive leadership development program, which led to a new chapter in Philadelphia – a vibrant city rich in cultural diversity.
As a self-proclaimed “food hobbyist,” Amosu immersed himself in Philadelphia’s vibrant food scene, admiring how various cultures fused traditional cuisines with contemporary flair. This experience sparked a desire to make his West African heritage more accessible to a broader audience. Global work placements further enriched his cultural understanding, and a serendipitous encounter with an Italian street kitchen on January 18, 2017, crystallized his vision for a dining concept unlike any other in the United States, thus ChòpnBl?k, an accessible West African inspired brand, was born. Amosu wasted no time in bringing his idea to life, balancing his corporate career by day with hands-on experience as a Chipotle prep cook by night, honing the skills essential to his entrepreneurial journey.
Rather than open a restaurant right away, Amosu prioritized building a strong foundation for ChòpnBl?k’s success. While maintaining his corporate role, he hosted a private dinner series over three years, gathering feedback and data for the concept. Despite lacking a storefront, the concept gained a devoted following, attracting media attention and reinforcing its potential. Nearly four years after his first pop-up dinner, he retired from corporate life to focus solely on opening the restaurant’s first storefront in POST, Houston’s food court, in Nov. 2021 followed by its first brick-and-mortar location in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood in Oct. 2024. Serving as the architect of the brand’s rapid expansion, Amosu is a two-time James Beard Award semifinalist – earning an “Emerging Chef” nomination in 2024 followed by a “Best Chef: Texas” nomination in 2025 – as well as a member of the 2025-2026 TasteTwenty lineup, which serves as JBF’s annual selection of “ones to watch” in the industry. He is the founder of Chopd & Stewd Festival as well as a rising culinarian with features spanning “Bravo TV’s Top Chef,” The New York Times, The New Yorker, Food & Wine, PBS’ No Passport Required, “Hulu’s Taste The Nation” and more.
Mike Heckman (’99)
Chief Operating Officer, Hurt
Heckman earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from Truman and later completed his Master of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is also a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Heckman is currently Chief Operating Officer of HURT!, a healthcare technology company focused on orthopedic triage and navigation, and CEO and co-founder of Rockcreek Way, a business advisory firm. He previously worked in international business with Boeing and spent more than a decade at Cerner Corporation, where he advanced innovation in employer health services, population health, and client operations. His career has consistently centered on building organizations, delivering strategic growth and advancing innovative healthcare offerings.
In addition to his professional roles, Heckman has supported the regional start-up and entrepreneurial community as an investor, advisor and operator. He has also served on both for-profit and non-profit boards, including a term as board president of Vibrant Health, a community health center in Wyandotte County. He also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where he teaches organizational behavior.
During his time at Truman, Heckman was president of the Student Activities Board and a founding father of the Beta Theta Pi chapter. These experiences, along with many other campus leadership roles, helped spark his passion for leadership and entrepreneurship.
Heckman lives in Parkville, Missouri, with his wife, Caroline (’97), whom he met at Truman, and their three children, two of whom are currently in college.
Ope Amosu (’10)
Restauranteur, ChòpnBl?k
Growing up as a child of Nigerian immigrants, Amosu personifies the Afro-American crossroads. His upbringing in Houston, Texas, was similar to many of his peers from immigrant families, with heavy doses of Nigerian culture influenced by forces quintessential to the Bayou City. These varied experiences that would eventually drove him to cultivate his heritage-driven hospitality venture, ChòpnBl?k.
After high school, Amosu left Houston for Truman. The experience was a stark contrast to his hometown, placing him in an economically disadvantaged area miles from the nearest airport and mall. Simultaneously, his parents permanently relocated from Houston back to Nigeria, leaving a significant gap in the Nigerian heritage that had been a huge comfort throughout his life. Despite these challenges, Amosu’s time at Truman proved fruitful, solidifying his passion for business and culminating in a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. However, the experience of being separated from his culture stayed with him.
Amosu began his career at Grimco, Inc., a wholesale sign company based in St. Louis, allowing him to stay close to his college sweetheart and now wife, Janelle, who is from the area. The role later facilitated his return to Houston, enabling him to achieve another goal: graduating from Rice University’s prestigious MBA program. At Rice, he focused on energy and entrepreneurship, deeply engaging with campus life. Upon completing the program, Amosu secured a position in General Electric’s executive leadership development program, which led to a new chapter in Philadelphia – a vibrant city rich in cultural diversity.
As a self-proclaimed “food hobbyist,” Amosu immersed himself in Philadelphia’s vibrant food scene, admiring how various cultures fused traditional cuisines with contemporary flair. This experience sparked a desire to make his West African heritage more accessible to a broader audience. Global work placements further enriched his cultural understanding, and a serendipitous encounter with an Italian street kitchen on January 18, 2017, crystallized his vision for a dining concept unlike any other in the United States, thus ChòpnBl?k, an accessible West African inspired brand, was born. Amosu wasted no time in bringing his idea to life, balancing his corporate career by day with hands-on experience as a Chipotle prep cook by night, honing the skills essential to his entrepreneurial journey.
Rather than open a restaurant right away, Amosu prioritized building a strong foundation for ChòpnBl?k’s success. While maintaining his corporate role, he hosted a private dinner series over three years, gathering feedback and data for the concept. Despite lacking a storefront, the concept gained a devoted following, attracting media attention and reinforcing its potential. Nearly four years after his first pop-up dinner, he retired from corporate life to focus solely on opening the restaurant’s first storefront in POST, Houston’s food court, in Nov. 2021 followed by its first brick-and-mortar location in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood in Oct. 2024. Serving as the architect of the brand’s rapid expansion, Amosu is a two-time James Beard Award semifinalist – earning an “Emerging Chef” nomination in 2024 followed by a “Best Chef: Texas” nomination in 2025 – as well as a member of the 2025-2026 TasteTwenty lineup, which serves as JBF’s annual selection of “ones to watch” in the industry. He is the founder of Chopd & Stewd Festival as well as a rising culinarian with features spanning “Bravo TV’s Top Chef,” The New York Times, The New Yorker, Food & Wine, PBS’ No Passport Required, “Hulu’s Taste The Nation” and more.
Mike Heckman (’99)
Chief Operating Officer, Hurt
Heckman earned a Bachelor of Science in finance from Truman and later completed his Master of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is also a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Heckman is currently Chief Operating Officer of HURT!, a healthcare technology company focused on orthopedic triage and navigation, and CEO and co-founder of Rockcreek Way, a business advisory firm. He previously worked in international business with Boeing and spent more than a decade at Cerner Corporation, where he advanced innovation in employer health services, population health, and client operations. His career has consistently centered on building organizations, delivering strategic growth and advancing innovative healthcare offerings.
In addition to his professional roles, Heckman has supported the regional start-up and entrepreneurial community as an investor, advisor and operator. He has also served on both for-profit and non-profit boards, including a term as board president of Vibrant Health, a community health center in Wyandotte County. He also serves as adjunct faculty at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where he teaches organizational behavior.
During his time at Truman, Heckman was president of the Student Activities Board and a founding father of the Beta Theta Pi chapter. These experiences, along with many other campus leadership roles, helped spark his passion for leadership and entrepreneurship.
Heckman lives in Parkville, Missouri, with his wife, Caroline (’97), whom he met at Truman, and their three children, two of whom are currently in college.
