Family Business Student Association

The Family Business Student Association (FBSA) launched in fall 2025 and has started strong.

As Deena Foudeh, the current President  mentioned, “a year ago, I was sitting in Professor Francesco Barbera’s Family Business class learning about the role family enterprises play in our economy. Today, that classroom conversation has turned into something real.”

In February 2026, the FBSA hosted its inaugural event – an “Introduction to Family Business” session, bringing together students, mentors, and TMU alumni involved in family enterprises to start building a community around family business at TMU. Panelists included Dr. Barbera, along with Alif Ruhul and Curtis Yim.  Dana Abou Shackra, a second-generation business family member, mentored the students and helped to organize the event.  

As Deena stated, family businesses make up over 70% of businesses worldwide, and we’re just getting started creating a space at TMU where students can learn from and connect with this incredible ecosystem. This is only the beginning.”

In April 2026, the FBSA organized a very successful family business market on campus where over 10 family business vendors were given booths to sell their products.