OCTOBER 1–31, 2022:
NATIONAL WOMEN’S SMALL BUSINESS MONTH
NWBC commemorated National Women’s Small Business Month by turning
back the clock and looking at where the Council has been and where
the Council hopes to go next. During the month, NWBC also
celebrated its 34th birthday and the progress made since the
Council’s establishment in 1988
DECEMBER 1, 2022:
FOREIGN POLICY HER POWER SUMMIT
NWBC Executive Director Tené Dolphin was a distinguished mentor at
the 4th Annual Her Power Summit hosted by Foreign Policy in
Washington, D.C. This event fostered essential dialogues around
how women’s leadership and gender parity can help create a more
prosperous and secure future for all. Major participants included
top government officials, leading voices from industry, and gender
experts, all of whom covered future-looking topics related to
women’s empowerment globally.
DECEMBER 2, 2022:
ECUADORIAN BUSINESS DELEGATION MEETING
NWBC Executive Director Tené Dolphin delivered remarks and
provided insight into some of the issues women face in business
within the United States and how the Council seeks to make a more
positive impact. From there, the group engaged in a thoughtful
discussion to share experiences and exchange learnings.
DECEMBER 13–14, 2022:
2022 AWBC CONFERENCE
Council Members Roberta McCullough and Selena Rodgers Dickerson
presented at the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC)
Conference. They used the opportunity to speak about the roles and
resources NWBC provides to women business owners nationwide.
Attendees asked questions, offered advice, and networked with the
Council Members.
JANUARY 2023:
BLACK AND BANKABLE PODCAST
Executive Director Tené Dolphin sat down with Black and Bankable
Podcast Host Talibah Bayles and expanded NWBC’s platform to a new
audience. Dolphin shared the history of H.R.5050, the composition
of the Council, and how the Council works on behalf of America’s
over 12 million women business owners. The conversation also
highlighted the challenges many Black women face accessing capital
and the need to understand and rethink business lending criteria
JANUARY 23, 2023:
GOVEXEC DAILY PODCAST
Council Member Jaime Gloshay spoke with GovExec Daily Podcast Host
Ross Gianfortune about the state of women-owned businesses. She
specifically elevated the perspective of the Council on access to
capital and opportunity and her point of view as a leader in the
Native women’s entrepreneurial community.
FEBRUARY 8, 2023:
FEBRUARY PUBLIC MEETING
NWBC held its first public meeting of 2023 at the Small Business
Administration (SBA) Headquarters, where Council Members reflected
on 2022 accomplishments and their policy goals for 2023. Associate
Administrator of the Office of Entrepreneurial Development Mark
Madrid and Senior Advisor to the Administrator Aditi Dussault
shared critical SBA updates with Council Members and the public.
The Council then joined Candace Waterman of Women Impacting Public
Policy (WIPP), Maxwell Young of 1863 Ventures, and Julie Castro
Abrams of How Women Lead/How Women Invest to discuss the previous
year’s recommendations and new directions worth considering in
2023.
FEBRUARY 8-9, 2023:
FEBRUARY SBA AND CONGRESSIONAL MEETINGS
While Council Members were in town for the Public Meeting, they
connected with SBA’s Office of Government Contracting and Business
Development and Office of Women’s Business Ownership, as well as
with staffers from Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan’s office,
Senator Benjamin Cardin’s office, and Senator Joni Ernst’s office.
These meetings enabled Council Members to elevate the Council’s
prior policy recommendations, learn more about each office’s work,
share stories and information from their own experience as
business leaders, and dig into areas of potential alignment.
MARCH 1–31, 2023:
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
NWBC celebrated Women’s History Month by sharing a selection of
the worthy wows, wins, and whys of women entrepreneurship. The
Council closed out the celebrations with the 2nd Annual Women’s
Business Summit held near the end of the month.
MARCH 1, 2023:
USPTO’S WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP SYMPOSIUM
Council Member Jenny Poon participated in the United States Patent
and Trademark Offices (USPTO’s) Women’s Entrepreneurship
Symposium. She discussed the challenges women business owners face
and spoke to her unique background as the daughter of immigrants
and as an ecosystem builder.
MARCH 21–23, 2023:
USPTO’S WOMEN’S ENTREPRENEURSHIP SYMPOSIUM
Council Member Jenny Poon participated in the United States Patent
and Trademark Offices (USPTO’s) Women’s Entrepreneurship
Symposium. She discussed the challenges women business owners face
and spoke to her unique background as the daughter of immigrants
and as an ecosystem builder.
MARCH 27–29, 2023:
SBA’S WOMEN’S BUSINESS SUMMIT
The 2023 Women’s Business Summit convened thought leaders from
across the public and private sectors to address persistent
challenges women entrepreneurs face as they start and scale their
businesses and share important information about promising private
and government program models. The Summit included “Ask an Expert”
sessions where entrepreneurs could engage directly with SBA
officials and learn more about SBA resources and programs. The
in-person and virtual events also commemorated the passage of H.R.
5050 and the establishment of NWBC and the Women’s Business Center
program.
President Biden kicked off the 2023 Women’s Business Summit as the
culminating event honoring Women’s History Month. The President
delivered a call to action supporting and strengthening America’s
women-owned businesses. He also announced the expansion of the
Women’s Business Center program. The President’s remarks preceded
an inspiring and candid panel discussion moderated by SBA
Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman. Panelists included Spanx
founder Sara Blakely, ClassPass founder Payal Kadakia, Dunamis
Charge Founder Natalie King, and Lip Bar Founder Melissa Butler.
NWBC Executive Director Tené Dolphin and Office of Women’s
Business Ownership Assistant Administrator Donald Smith delivered
opening remarks along with Summit partners, and special guest
Senator Benjamin Cardin. During a fireside chat, SBA Administrator
Isabella Casillas Guzman shared notable takeaways around barriers
and the SBA tools designed to address them. Panelists included
Cleo Barger of Mid-States, Jeni Britton of Jeni’s Ice Cream, and
Mariela Pineda and Natalia Pretel of Tierra Encantada.
The virtual component featured NWBC’s panel entitled, “Empowering
Women Entrepreneurs: Supporting Equity, Uplifting the Small
Business Sisterhood.” This panel of trailblazing women engaged
entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ecosystem leaders who prioritize
and build equity into their business models. Panelists discussed
strategies and identified best practices, sharing how they bring
novel products and services to diverse consumers and contribute to
their communities by providing jobs, community-based co-working,
and innovation “safe spaces” to improve support for a growing
entrepreneurial sisterhood.
This closing event celebrated the advancements made since the
passage of H.R. 5050. Advocates, thought leaders, and business
owners gathered as SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman
facilitated a poignant conversation with representatives on behalf
of AWBC, NAWBO, and NWBC, recognizing the tremendous progress made
and the opportunity to go further in support of women business
owners.
APRIL 26, 2023:
WORLD IP DAY
NWBC staff celebrated World Intellectual Property
(IP) Day by attending an event hosted by USPTO
entitled, “The Value of Her IP” at the U.S. Capitol.
The event recognized the importance of intellectual
property rights, a critical facet of innovation,
especially for women entrepreneurs.
APRIL 30–MAY 6, 2023:
NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK
NWBC celebrated National Small Business Week by
supporting local women-owned small businesses
across the country, from Washington, D.C., and
Birmingham, AL, to Phoenix, AZ.
MAY 4, 2023:
CARNEGIE-MELLON UNIVERSITY HEINZ
COLLEGE EVENT
NWBC celebrated former policy fellow Sara Torres
Inda’s graduation from Heinz College. She did great
work for NWBC and supported entrepreneurship by
working with SBA beyond her NWBC experience.
MAY 9, 2023:
NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP MOTHER’S DAY TEA
NWBC attended the National Partnership for Women and
Families’ Annual Mother’s Day Tea. Staff connected directly to
this discourse that delved into what success and best practices
look like for women in business and the workplace, particularly
mothers, guardians, and caregivers. The discussion also touched
on intersectional approaches and partnerships for impact.
JUNE 6, 2023:
NAWBO ADVOCACY DAY
NWBC convened a panel discussion on how the
National Association of Women Business Owners’
(NAWBO’s) advocacy helped establish H.R. 5050.
Executive Director Tené Dolphin facilitated this
meaningful conversation where Council Member Leslie
Lynn Smith, Council Member Brandy Butler, and NAWBO Board Member Dr. Jan
Shinkawa
shared their diverse perspectives on NWBC’s policy recommendations, their
role in advancing
women entrepreneurship, and the two organizations’ historic partnership.
JUNE 6, 2023:
DIANA INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH
INSTITUTE’S IMPACT DAY
Council Members Roberta McCullough and Selena
Rodgers Dickerson were invited by Council Member
Shakenna Williams—who serves as Executive
Director of Babson College’s Center for Women’s
Entrepreneurial Leadership—to learn more about
research on women’s business ownership and how
this research can influence policy recommendations
during Diana International Research Institute’s Impact Day. Council Member
Samantha
Abrams joined them at the event, serving as a speaker on behalf of
Walker’s Legacy.
JUNE 8, 2023:
SCN POLICY SUMMIT
NWBC led a workshop on how changemakers can
influence the entrepreneurial ecosystem through
policy at the Startup Champions Network (SCN) Policy
Summit. The workshop considered how ecosystem
builders can raise their voices in support of sustainable
models and walked participants through the policy
development process via a small group exercise.
JUNE 14, 2023:
JUNE PUBLIC MEETING
NWBC hosted the second public meeting of the year,
allowing Council Members to share updates on policy
deliberations and the Council’s research efforts. A
panel discussion was held with several leaders from
Offices of Small and Disadvantage Business Utilization
(OSDBUs) and Alisa Sheard, SBA Deputy Director of the Office of
Government Contracting,
to better understand the state of federal contracting, highlight best
practices supporting
underserved communities and connect to program funding and other
topics relevant to
women business owners.
JUNE 27, 2023:
AFRICAN BUSINESS WOMEN’S DELEGATION MEETING
NWBC Senior Policy Advisor Sandra Mayoral
Pedroarias and fellow NWBC staff members
participated in the State Department’s
International Visitor Leadership Program’s
informational session. Women entrepreneurs
from several African countries shared their
experiences; Sandra Mayoral Pedroarias
shared information about past policy
recommendations and the Council’s current
work, while Sarah Bonner from SBA’s Office of
International Trade shared information about
existing resource programs.
JULY 24-26, 2023:
2023 AWBC CONFERENCE
NWBC attended the Association of Women’s Business
Center’s (AWBC) annual conference, where staff and
Council Members connected with women entrepreneurs
and learned from their expertise. NWBC Staff and
Council Members were able to share information about
the Council’s policy focus areas for 2023 and uplift policy
recommendations and resources of significance from
the previous year.
JULY 24, 2023:
INCLUSIVE ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEMS ROUNDTABLE
Council Members Kathy Cochran and
Samantha Abrams moderated a policy
roundtable on “Overcoming the Digital
Divide to Empower Underserved
Women Entrepreneurs” at the AWBC
Leadership Conference. Valuable
knowledge was exchanged, particularly
on bridging skills and access gaps
around digital resources and broadband
for women business owners.
JULY 2023:
BLACK AND BANKABLE PODCAST
Council Members Samantha Abrams,
Brandy R. Butler, Roberta McCullough,
and Kathy Cochran met with Talibah
Bayles, founder of TMB Tax and
Financial Services and host of Black
and Bankable Podcast, to discuss their
successes and struggles as business
leaders and why their Council service is
so important to them.
AUGUST 17, 2023:
WOMEN IN STEM ROUNDTABLE
Council Members Jenny Poon and
Selena Rodgers Dickerson moderated
a roundtable entitled “How She Saved
the World – Responsible Advancement
to Support Women Entrepreneurs.”
Council Members explored
strengthening entrepreneurial growth
for women in science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
fields. A panel of thought leaders gave
key insights on fortifying the STEM
entrepreneurial pipeline and translating STEM innovation into a sustainable business model
at Howard University.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2023:
SEPTEMBER PUBLIC MEETING
NWBC was honored to host
remarks from SBA Administrator
Isabella Casillas Guzman and
introduce Sima Ladjevardian
as its new chair. This meeting
also allowed Council
Members to deliberate policy
recommendations and respond
to comments from the public.
