Dr. Eric S. Trevan’s (B.A.’98, Public Administration) career journey has taken him from local leadership and education to the White House. Today, as a successful entrepreneur and business leader, Eric reflects on how his time at Western shaped his career and his desire to give back whenever possible. 
Eric has a strong connection to Western Michigan University, following in the footsteps of his parents who are also alumni: Ken Trevan (B.S.’74, Drafting) and Pamela Trevan (B.S.’74, Physical Education). Both of his brothers, Kurtis Trevan (B.S.‘02, Finance), and Brian Trevan (B.S.’05, Marketing), are proud WMU graduates, too.
As a student, Eric took advantage of all the opportunities available to him on campus. He was an active member of many registered student organizations (RSOs) during his time here, including the Student Senate, Intermural Sports, College Democrats, Native American Student Organization (NASO), and his fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon.
During his sophomore year, Eric found his path shaped by a meaningful conversation with his academic advisor, Dr. Richard L. McAnaw, who recommended he pursue an economics minor and fostered the importance of hard work. He said something to the effect of, "...It’s perspiration, not inspiration. You can have all these great ideas, but you’re going to have to put in the work,” Eric said. That has resonated with him from his initial academic endeavors to his current responsibilities as the President of aLocal.
Dr. David Houghton also provided guidance to Eric when he explored pursuing an advanced degree. Eric explained, “Dr. Houghton always pushed me toward my Ph.D., and I was able to build a roadmap to earn my doctorate (Ph.D.’16, Community Development and Economics, Arizona State University) with the support he provided. I am forever thankful for his excitement and guidance.”
These perspectives have stayed with Eric over the years and shaped the way he approaches his career goals and ambitions. “I still believe I have some pretty big aspirations, some visionary ways to create positive change in society, and I know that it takes hard work to do that, and I think that’s resonated throughout my career,” he said. “I still remember that conversation (Dr. McAnaw) when I was a sophomore in his office.”
This proud WMU alum’s professional career spans several roles that have had a lasting impact on both his personal values and the wider community. Early in his career he served as Assistant City Manager in Port Huron, then took on a role as the Director of Planning and Development in Whiteville, North Carolina. He also served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi and the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi. Later, he became the head of a development corporation in Kalamazoo. Eric went on to serve as President of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. His advocacy and entrepreneurial efforts have allowed him to visit two-thirds of Native American reservations in the Lower 48 and address essential economic policies, positively impacting Native communities.
One of Eric’s proudest moments came in 2010 when he was invited to the White House for his advocacy work. “It's been 14 years since I was invited to the bill signing of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, but that was quite an honor,” he said. “Many folks came together from different groups and partisan identities to help craft a bipartisan effort to build a strong economy from the 2008 recession.”
Eric has also made a mark in academia, serving as a tenure-track professor at two universities, with his most recent appointment at California State University San Marcos. Recently, he had the opportunity to return to Western as an adjunct professor and share his lifetime of experiences in public administration and economics with the next generation of Broncos.
“I taught that class for the School of Public Affairs and Administration for two semesters, and that’s all part of their new certificate program they have for Native governance,” Eric said. “My Native nation is right up the road from Kalamazoo—the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi or Gun Lake. I love being involved with the opportunity to connect with all three of the Pottawatomi nations in the region and seeing where they can make a difference.”
Together with longtime friend and fellow Western alumnus Sageous Brian Suggs (B.S.’00, Engineering & Applied Sciences), Eric co-founded aLocal (aLocal.ai), an AI market and economic analytics platform, which has earned them multiple national awards. Alongside the growth of his own business, Eric currently serves as an Independent Director on the Board of Directors at Heritage Distilling, Inc. (NASDAQ-CASK). He continues to serve on the Board of Directors for Northern Initiatives, a Michigan based Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), Local First Arizona and other Native business entities. He also served as the inaugural Chairman of Gun Lake Investments for his Native nation, the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi.
Paying it forward to his alma mater, Eric and his wife Karah (B.S.W.’02, Social Work), also a WMU graduate, established the Trevan Empowerment Fund, an endowment at Western that helps Broncos with basic needs like meals, clothing and health products. “We made a contribution that would be permanently endowed to help students with things they need that aren’t covered by scholarships,” he said. He plans to finalize a related non-profit in 2025 and start raising additional funds beyond his initial contribution. What’s more, Dr. Trevan’s support for WMU spans the entire state, and he has expressed his intention to remain active in Michigan with several new investments anticipated to materialize in 2025.
Eric and Karah are passionate about giving back to WMU. “I know a couple of times I was challenged, so we just set that up (Trevan Empowerment Fund), and that’s a perpetual fund that will continue to support Western students. We’re very proud and honored to have that opportunity,” Eric added.
As he continues to build his career and give back to the community, Eric’s focus remains on creating opportunities for others to succeed. Through his success in business, entrepreneurship and education, he remains dedicated to making a lasting impact in underrepresented communities, Native nations, local economies and with current Western Michigan students.
"Go Broncos!"
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