Lee Watson

Lee Watson has a diverse work experience that spans over several years. In 2008, they founded CLAROVISTA, LLC and served as the CEO/Founder. In 2012, they became the Founding Champion of Startup Arkansas, an alliance of Arkansas entrepreneurs aiming to build a strong entrepreneurial startup ecosystem.

In 2013, Lee co-founded The Venture Center and assumed the roles of Co-Founder, CEO, and Board Member. Lee provided vision and developed strategic partnerships for this organization. Additionally, they founded other organizations, such as Forge Institute in 2018, where they became the CEO and Founder, and VC FinTech Investment Funds, where they served as the Co-Founder and Assistant Administrator.

Lee also held positions in various advisory councils and task forces. Lee was a Member of the Arkansas Cyber Advisory Council for the State of Arkansas starting in 2021. Likewise, they served as a Member of the DHS CISA CIPAC CTIS Working Group for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency from 2021 to 2022.

Furthermore, Lee was appointed by Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson as a Member of the State Computer Science and Cybersecurity Task Force starting in 2019. This task force assessed the state's computer science and cybersecurity education programs and provided recommendations for improvement.

Lee also served as a Board Member on the UALR EIT Leadership Council starting in 2015 and was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Emerging Analytics Center from 2018 to 2019.

With their extensive experience in entrepreneurship, strategic partnerships, and involvement in advisory roles, Lee Watson has showcased their commitment to the development of the startup ecosystem in Arkansas and the advancement of computer science and cybersecurity education.

Lee Watson attended the University of Arkansas from 2003 to 2004, where they pursued a business-related field of study. After that, they studied at the University of Central Arkansas from 2004 to 2006, earning a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree with a focus on Marketing.