Industry Experience:
Government
- Expert in public policy and government relations served as SBA’s Assistant Administrator for Women’s Business Ownership (Presidential Appointment) from 2009 to 2013.
- In-depth understanding of the legislative and regulatory process, as well as the roles and decision-making processes of key governmental and regulatory entities.
- Federal procurement – Subject matter expert on all federal procurement related issues. Ample experience in formulating, coordinating and implementing White House and US Small Business Administration’s initiatives to foster maximum participation by small, disadvantaged, and woman-owned businesses in federal government contract awards and large prime subcontract awards.
Corporate Supplier Diversity
- Experienced in developing and implementing programs and strategic initiatives to improve the utilization and inclusion of certified minority, women and disadvantaged business enterprises while providing small businesses with tools to reduce risk to and effectively serve corporate and government clients.
- Marketing and Outreach to Domestic Emerging Markets
- Recognized expert in development and implementation of culturally targeted marketing campaigns and national policies and procedures to deliver programs and initiatives to domestic emerging markets (underserved communities: women, African Americans, Hispanics and other ethnic minorities, veterans, rural America).
Contacts
Extensive network of key contacts in the White House, Congress, federal procurement regulatory agencies, corporations, small business advocacy groups and trade associations.
Functional Experience:
- Chief architect of leading initiatives to promote the growth of women-owned business through innovative programs, including training and counseling, access to credit and capital and federal and corporate contracting.
- Accomplished national director and manager of a network of 110 Women’s Business Centers that provide entrepreneurial assistance to more than 150,000 clients annually.
- Responsible for $14 million budget formulation, execution, expenditure tracking, analysis and reporting.
- Frequent White House and SBA representative on television, radio, print, and other media and in national and international public forums.
- SBA liaison to domestic and international corporate partners and stakeholders.
Key Business Transactional Experience:
- Transactional and Programmatic Oversight
- Designed and implemented performance metrics and review process to identify centers that perform below acceptable benchmarks and achieved a smooth transition of funding away from those centers to organizations with higher levels of performance potential.
- Principal engineer of comprehensive financial and programmatic review system to eradicate fraud and abuse within the SBA Office of Women’s Business Ownership’s network of grantees. Subsequent program expansion and adoption by other SBA grant programs rendered federal funds recoveries equivalent to 15% of annual program budget.
- Designed program efficiency measures to facilitate Women’s Business Center program expansion to every US state and territory without funding increases.
What is the most important skill you bring to a corporate board?
In depth understanding and knowledge of domestic emerging markets, particularly women and Hispanics.
