Join us for an interactive conversation on tips for accelerating your career as an aspiring young leader. Craig will share some of his favorite advice learned from others, that he gives to clients, and that he's experienced himself, along with some of the stories that explain why they’re useful.
Craig Escamilla helps others work on rather than in their businesses. With fifteen years of consulting, teaching, and senior management experience, Craig brings a wealth of practical experience to his consulting work.
As an advisor, Craig helps small and medium-sized businesses with strategic plan development and implementation, succession planning, team management tools and systems, team communication, resolving conflicts, and customer acquisition and retention. Craig’s clients throughout Texas are in the oil and gas, higher education, commercial and industrial construction, health care, community service, family enterprise, and nonprofit industries. Craig also coaches clients and presents on strategy, business communication, improving meetings, productivity, leadership, and ethics.
Prior to launching CAE Solutions, LLC, Craig practiced what he preaches at the Symphony of Southeast Texas and Lamar University. As Executive Director at the Symphony, Craig oversaw budget, ticket sales, and individual contributions increases, a Music Director search, and the elimination of all financial debt. Craig served Lamar University as a management instructor and Director of Accreditation and Assessment in the College of Business and as Executive Director of Retention and Student Success. In his eleven years in the College of Business, Craig taught over one thousand students in various management classes. As Director of Accreditation and Assessment, he helped develop new student assessment mechanisms and establish the College’s student success office, which saw retention increases over 20% in three years. As Executive Director of Retention and Student Success, he oversaw a nearly 5% increase in first-year retention to record levels in two years and served on the leadership team that oversaw two consecutive years of record enrollment, retention, and graduation rates, despite challenges from tropical weather systems and COVID-19.
Craig has published case studies and articles on strategic planning, leadership, ethical behavior, and nonprofit management, and has given speeches and presentations at national and international conferences and to local civic organizations.
Craig holds the Bachelor of Music and Master of Business Administration degrees. He was selected as one of thirty participants in the League of American Orchestras’ Essentials of Orchestra Management Seminar in 2008 and was named one of Southeast Texas’s 40 Under 40 Young Professionals in 2014. During his undergraduate studies, he was selected as a McNair Scholar, conducting research in musical improvisation. Craig is actively involved in the Southeast Texas community, specifically with the Rotary Club of Beaumont and the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce.