After graduating from Oklahoma City Community College, he earned a B.S. in accounting from the University of Central Oklahoma and an M.B.A. with an emphasis in finance from Oklahoma City University. Hassen worked as an auditor for the international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche, where he served clients in the non-profit, governmental and SEC sectors. He began his career at OMRF in 1998, when he was hired as an internal auditor. Hassen is a member of the Oklahoma City Community College Alumni Hall of Fame, and in 2006 OKC Business named him one of its “Forty under 40.”