SBA Administrator Appoints New Members to National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board

WASHINGTON, May 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet has named five new members for a three-year term to the National Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Advisory Board.

The advisory board is appointed to advise, counsel, and confer with the Associate Administrator of the Office of Small Business Development Centers (OSBDC) in carrying out the SBDC Program under Section 21 of the Small Business Act. 

The new members of the advisory board include:

• Latha Ramchand, Dean and Professor of Finance at the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, representing Region 6;
• Karen Smaw, Director of Business Diversity, Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, representing Region 3;
• Mark Williams, The Managing Director of Manchester Partners, representing Region 5;
• Glenda Washington, Vice President of Entrepreneurial and Minority Business Development, GoTopeka, representing Region 7; and
• Sandy Cajas, President and CEO of the Regional Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (RHCC) and Founder of the Regional Hispanic Institute (RHI), representing Region 9.

The advisory board has three veteran board members who have been advising the SBDC Program for over a year. The veteran board members are:

• Board Chairman Louis Foreman, Founder and Chief Executive of Enventys, representing Region 4;
• Dr. Becky Takeda-Tinker, Dean of Academic Affairs for Colorado State University, representing Regions 8 and 10; and
• Miguel Zabludovsky, Founder and CEO of Slate NYC, representing Region 2.

As part of the advisory functions of the board, the board may:

• Evaluate the aims, objectives and goals of the SBDC Program and its effectiveness.
• Introduce proposals for strengthening the SBDC Program and increasing private sector involvement in the SBDC Program.
• Review reports provided by the SBA and provide recommendations for improvement to the Associate Administrator of the OSBDC.
• Serve as an objective, external source of information for the Associate Administrator of the OSBDC by providing insight on trends, gaps, best practices and opportunities that can strengthen and inform SBDC programs and policy.

ABOUT THE U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA)
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 and since January 13, 2012 has served as a Cabinet-level agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation.  The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses.  Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, the SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. www.sba.gov

Contact: Cecelia Taylor (202) 401-3059
Internet Address: http://www.sba.gov/news 
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SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration

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