HWS News
1 October 2025 • Alums Worden '87 Inspires as Entrepreneur in Residence
Alan Worden ’87 shared advice and lessons from his more than 30 years working on startups.
Returning to campus as the Entrepreneur in Residence, Alan Worden ’87 brought the energy and insight of a seasoned founder to current students. Worden, the founder and CEO of Community Data Platforms, senior advisor of ReMain Nantucket and principal of the Westmoor Club, shared lessons drawn from a career defined by bold ventures and creative problem-solving.
During class visits and one-on-one meetings, Worden emphasized action and persistence. “Be known as the person who gets things done,” he says. He also advocated for simplicity and unity when creating a business plan. "If you want everyone on the same page, you need everything on the same page,” he says.
In one of the courses he visited, “Leadership and Innovation,” Worden shared insights on the pitfalls and successes of starting a business, entrepreneurial strategy plans, career advice and personal wisdom.
Worden also shared videos of his entrepreneur friends, Chris Hessler, founder of The ABplatform, an advisory board growth platform, and Ed Gazvoda, president of Fireless Cremation, who shared similar advice of networking, giving any idea a chance and starting early.
“Alan was an enormously engaging speaker for the graduate students in my “Leadership and Innovation” course,” says Visiting Instructor of Business Management and Entrepreneurship Amy Forbes. “I’m grateful to have an expert entrepreneur contribute to our class discussions especially on the qualities, skills and tactics of real-world innovation.”
Worden also spoke of the power of transforming communities in "Social Innovation for the Entrepreneur" with Associate Professor of Business Management and Entrepreneurship Craig Talmage and during the Michael '59 and Ellen '60 Opell IdeaLab program. IdeaLab provides students with a space to share their entrepreneurial endeavors and receive feedback and mentoring to further develop their creations, with opportunities to enter into the Todd Feldman '89 and Pitch Competition or submit a funding proposal to the Opell Start-Up Fund Committee.
As an HWS student, Worden majored in architectural studies, started the Entrepreneur Club, created a conservative student newspaper, The Statesman, and studied abroad in Paris. After graduating, he earned a Master of Science in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. Worden founded Scout Real Estate, a real estate investment, development and management company with properties in Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, Florida, Bermuda and Hawaii. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Community Data Platforms, a data analytics company, Co-Founder of the Westmoor Club on Nantucket, Mass., and serves as a Senior Advisor to Eric and Wendy Schmidt. Alan is an experienced sailor who has sailed double-handed from Nantucket to New Zealand.
Top: During “Social Innovation for the Entrepreneur” with Associate Professor of Business Management and Entrepreneurship Craig Talmage, HWS Entrepreneur in Residence Alan Worden ’87 speaks about his career path and new innovations he is bringing to Nantucket, Mass.
