Who We Are
The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) is the oldest, largest, most comprehensive, and successful women’s business assistance center in the United States. We're nationally and internationally recognized for our responsive, innovative, and effective programs and advocacy efforts. We deliver business services and financial assistance to empower women towards entrepreneurship and economic self-sufficiency.. Since our founding in 1986, we've grown from a two-person operation to a national leader in women’s economic development with a budget of $2.2 million. Our operation has grown to a staff of 24 full-time employees and consultants, a roster of expert trainers, industry-specific advisory boards, and a powerful Board of Directors comprised of Chicago women considered leaders in their fields.
Over the years, we've assisted more than 55,000 women in the greater Chicago area, helped establish 14 additional women’s business assistance centers in six states in the U.S., and continue to be credited for programs and policies that impact women’s economic development across the nation and globally.
What We Do
Now in our third decade, the WBDC serves diverse entrepreneurs at all stages of development through the following programs and services:
♀ Targeted entrepreneurial training in workshops and seminars
♀ Industry-specific programs
♀ Multicultural Outreach Programs
♀ Professional business counseling
♀ Financial assistance
♀ Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) certification
♀ Procurement and business opportunity assistance
♀ Advocacy on women’s business ownership and economic development
♀ Regional and national events and conferences
♀ Access to information and resources covering all aspects of business ownership.
Please note: all of the above are available on a non-discriminatory basis. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities can be arranged if requested at least two weeks in advance.
TDD number for the WBDC is
1-800-526-0844 (TDD only) or
1-800-526-0857 (operated assisted)
Goals
The goals of the Women’s Business Development Center are to:
♀ Accelerate the rate of growth of women’s business and microenterprise ownership
♀ Increase the economic impact of women-owned businesses on families and communities
♀ Build awareness of business ownership as a viable means of economic self-sufficiency, and
♀ Stimulate public policy and system changes which support and strengthen women’s economic impact
Staff
The Women's Business Development Center management and staff are unequaled in expertise, experience, and commitment to the development of women's economic self-sufficiency through business ownership Key management and staff include:
Leadership
Hedy Ratner, Co-president and founder, brings over 30 years of leadership in the women's community including many national and local awards for her visionary approach to women's economic development. She is unequaled in her advocacy on behalf of women business owners: she is a presidential appointee to the National Women's Business Council; a gubernatorial appointee to the Illinois Women's Business Ownership Council and the newly formed Governor's Commission on the Status of Women. She is a board member of the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and a founding board member of the Alliance of Minority and Female Contractors Association; board member of many affirmative action advisory council and advisory council member of the Federation of Women contractors, the local National Association of Women Business Owners.
Carol Dougal, Co-president and founder, brings over 30 years of leadership in the women's business development and employment and training community. Dougal is a creative leader whose present work includes executive committee membership of the Women's Business Enterprise National Council, developing the first national Women's Business Enterprise certification program. She brings experience in employment and training issues to the WBDC, especially relevant in launching a program to educate women business owners on issues regarding hiring women who are moving from welfare to work.
Mary Ann Angle is Vice President of Administration and also serves as Director of the Small Business Development Center and manager of government supported grants and programs. MaryAnn has extensive previous experience in managing and directing government grants in employment training and business development for the City of Chicago, State of Illinois, and Cook County.
Cynthia Johnson is Director of Programs at the Women’s Business Development Center. In this role she leads the programmatic staff in developing, executing and evaluating the programs offered by WBDC to ensure that client expectations are met. She has extensive entrepreneurial experience as founder and CEO of a business that she managed for 30 years. Over the course of her career, she fulfilled executive leadership positions with a number of non-profit organizations. Having served for many years on the board of directors at the WBDC, she joined the staff 2009. Cynthia and her team guide women through the process of starting a new business or expanding an existing one. The counselors offer one-on-one counseling in all aspects of business development, management, entrepreneurial training, financial management and loan packaging, assistance in identifying new market opportunities and Women Business Enterprise National Certification.
Marketing and External Relations
Mia M. Delano serves as the director of Marketing and External Relations for the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC). With over a decade of experience with the WBDC, in her current role Mia works directly with the WBDC Board of Directors, as well as all WBDC consultants and staff, securing funding, strengthening the WBDC brand, and building strategic partnerships within our nine state Midwestern region, and nationally, to further the mission of the WBDC. Mia is also the director of the annual Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference, the oldest conference and business opportunities fair for women business owners in the country and the largest marketing, publicity-generating and fundraising tool for the WBDC. Under her leadership, the Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference has tripled in size and serves as one of the premier events for women business owners in the nation. A highly skilled communications, marketing and public relations expert, Mia is also a steadfast advocate for the advancement of women and minority-owned businesses.
Business Counselors and Trainers
Debra Minor-Harvey serves as a consultant to the WBDC’s Child Care Business Program, providing business development support to its child care entrepreneurs. For over 25 years she has been active in the non-profit community serving on the boards of various advocacy and human services organizations and as an executive director. She has contributed to the development of several local non-profits. A former educator and college administrator, Ms. Minor-Harvey elected to become an entrepreneur in 1989 when she founded The Right Source, Inc a consulting group which offers project management, instructional design and training support to non-profit, public, and private entities.
Heather Parish is a contracted business counselor. She is an experienced trainer and counselor in microenterprise and brings more than a decade of experience including a background in community and economic development
Teresa Prim is a WBDC finance counselor and management consultant. She assists aspiring and established entrepreneurs in issues of business financing, including savings and budgeting, cash flow projections, profit and loss statements, and the creation of a business plan. Teresa is committed to increasing WBDC's effectiveness with minority and low-income entrepreneurs. She is expert in many facets of business development including the child care industry, the laundromat industry, loan packaging, real estate transactions, business plan development, and community development. Teresa holds a Masters degree in Community Economic Development from Hampshire College.
Sylvia Wynn is a contracted business consultant with the WBDC. She provides business operations and marketing counseling to established, emerging and start-up business owners. Sylvia is co-founder of SJW Enterprises, a marketing and marketing research consulting company which assists Fortune 500 corporations in marketing strategies. She has been associated with the WBDC since 1991.
Bilingual Training & Counseling /Latina Program
Maria Lopez serves as a WBDC Bilingual (Spanish) Business Counselor and manages the Latina Business Program. Maria provides bilingual entrepreneurial training, counseling and computer classes for entrepreneurs and child care providers. Prior to joining the WBDC, Maria worked for LaSalle National Bank for 13 years in the areas of Business Transformation, Corporate Development and Acquisition, Corporate Capital, and Treasury Operations. She was born in Mexico City, Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 6. Maria received a B.S. from DePaul University with a comprehensive major in Finance.
Entrepreneurial Training and Counseling
Meg Herman, Director, Entrepreneurial Services, joined WBDC in 2008. In this capacity she connects clients with our counseling and training services, plans new learning opportunities and outreaches to affiliate organizations to let emerging and established business know about WBDC services. Prior to joining, she maintained a successful professional coaching and consulting practice for over 10 years with Managing Horizons, LLC, where she was founding partner. Meg designed and facilitated adult learning opportunities for profit and non-profit organizations for over 30 years, including staff and board retreats, adult learning strategies, diversity training and organization development, in order to improve business results and quality of life. Meg’s coaching clients come to her for goal setting, organizational and personal performance improvement, and holding themselves accountable to their plans. Meg holds a Masters in Social Work from Jane Addams College, University of Illinois, and is a Professionally Certified Coach with the International Coach Federation, with training from Coach University and the Coaches Training Institute. She has a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of Illinois.
Child Care Business & Retail/Franchise Program
Elizabeth Gardner leads the WBDC’s Child Care Business Program and Retail/Franchise Initiative. She also serves as the Fund Administrator for the CCBP’s microloan fund. Ms Gardner brings over 10 years of experience in marketing and business development with a special emphasizes on small business.
Finance Program
Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) and Established Business Program
Freida Curry is the Director of the Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center at the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC). In this role, Ms. Curry assists business owners with the process of finding, bidding for, and winning contracts with local, state and/or federal government agencies. Ms Curry has a rich history of assisting small business owners in the various stages of starting, growing, and funding their business ventures. In previous positions, she was the Entrepreneurship Director at The Chicago Urban League; and the Director of the Illinois Small Business Development Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ms. Curry is also the previous owner of Freida Curry & Associates, a small business consulting and training firm; and I AM Records, a recording
WBE Certification Department
Debbi L. Lyall is Certification Director at the WBDC. Debbi has 12 years of purchasing experience in both the public and private sectors (Chicago Park District and Bank One/First Chicago). In her role at the WBDC, Debbi assists small businesses in accessing contracting/subcontracting opportunities, counseling on bid/proposal preparation and submission, and assistance on all certifications.
Deon M. Crayton is the Certification Program Manager for the Women’s Business Development Center’s (WBDC) WBE Certification Program. The WBDC certifies more than 1,000 women annually as WBEs throughout its nine-state Midwestern Region, through their partnership with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Prior to her current role, Deon served as the Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) Director at the WBDC, where she assisted certified women business owners, and other small business owners, in securing contracts and subcontracts in both the public and private sectors, and facilitated relationships between certified WBEs and buyers through the WBDC’s Corporate Connections program.
Deon first came to work at the Women’s Business Development Center in 2002 and began as the assistant to the Director of the PTAC program. Deon received a B.A degree in 2001 from Albion College, in Albion, Mich., and an M.A. in Professional Counseling in 2003 from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology/Argosy University, in Chicago.
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Administration
Jennifer Carpenter, Client Database Administrator
Richard Henderson, Facilities Assistant
Josefina Ocampo, Receptionist/Training Assistant
Rupert Serrano, Media Data Administrator
Joyce Spain, Bookkeeper
Programs
Kristin Travis, Program Assistant
Technology
Ellenie Girma, Network Administrator/website Manager
Certification
Kelly Hinman, Certification Specialist
Peggy Smith, Certification Specialist
Leon Moore, Certification Specialist
Special Projects
Danae Kovac, Special Projects Coordinator
Resource Development
Tara Franey, Resource Development Director
WBDC Minnesota
Natasha Fedorova, WBDC Minnesota
Board of Directors
Women’s Business Development Center is enormously grateful to its stellar Board of Directors for its advice, counsel and support.
2008-2009 WBDC BOARD OF DIRECTORS (as of May 2009)
Laurel G. Bellows 9
Principal
The Bellows Law Group P.C.
Linda Chaplik Harris 13
Vice Chair of the WBDC Board
Partner
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
Alison Chung 2
President
TeamWerks
Risa R. Davis 10
Area Manager, Commercial Banking Group
Citibank, Illinois
Emilia DiMenco 11
Executive Vice President, Business Banking
Harris Bank
Carol Dougal
Co-President
Women's Business Development Center
Martha Garza 8
Change Management Director
ComEd
Debra Jennings Johnson 14
Chairperson of WBDC Board
Director, Supplier Diversity
BP America
Norma J. Lauder 6
Audit Committee Chair of WBDC Board
Director, MS Tax Program
University of Illinois
Jeanne Mandoza 5
District Controller
United Parcel Services
Pam McDonough 4
Secretary/Treasurer of the WBDC Board
Chief Executive Officer
DeAngelo/McDonough Construction Management Company
Sandra Rand 3
Hedy M. Ratner
Co-President
Women's Business Development Center
Arabel Alva Rosales 1
President
AAR Enterprises
Shelley Stern 12
Central Region Citizenship Lead
Microsoft Corporation
Donna L. Westerman 7
Director Supplier Diversity and Social Responsibility
Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company
Ex Officio Board Members
Mellody Hobson
President
Ariel Capital Management, Inc.
Terry Savage
Financial Analyst
President, Terry Savage Productions, Ltd.
Sponsors & Partners
The Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO); is a delegate agency of the City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development; a grant recipient of Cook County, Department of Planning and Development; and a certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). As a member of the Illinois Entrepreneurship Network, the WBDC is an Illinois Small Business Development Center and an Illinois Procurement Technical Assistance Center funded in part through a cooperative agreement with The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the U.S. Department of Defence. The WBDC is also a proud partner of many corporations, foundations and contributors who help make entrepreneurial dreams a reality.
MARQUEE CONTRIBUTORS ($40,000 +)
BP America, Inc.
Bank of America Charitable Foundation
Citibank, FSB
Citigroup Foundation
McCormick Foundation
The Partnership for New Communities
Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
PREMIER CONTRIBUTORS ($25,000 +)
AT&T
AT&T Foundation
CME Trust
Charter One Bank
ComEd
Edward M. Marx Foundation
Grand Victoria Foundation
Harris N.A.
Health Care Service Corporation/BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois
Hewlett–Packard Company
JPMorgan Chase Foundation
Leo Guthman Fund
M&I Foundation, Inc.
Merrill Lynch
Microsoft Corp.
Motorola, Inc.
OfficeMax
OPEN from American Express®
Sara Lee Foundation
Searle Funds at The Chicago Community Trust
Taproot Foundation
U.S. Department of Energy
United Airlines
Walgreen Co
MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS ($10,000 – $24,999)
Aetna Foundation
Avon Products, Inc.
CDW
CNA Foundation
Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Fund, Fifth Third Bank, Trustee
Dominick’s Finer Foods
Ernst & Young LLP
Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.
Futura Marketing, Inc.
HSBC–North America
Integrys Energy Group
J&J Exhibitors Service, Inc.
Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago
Kayhan International
Kraft Foods
Lurie Besikof Lapidus & Company, LLP
Macquaire Capital USA Inc.
Macy’s Foundation
National City Bank
Northern Trust
Prudential
RSM McGladrey, Inc.
Smead Manufacturing Company
Target Corporation
Trench–It, Inc.
United Parcel Service (UPS)
The University of Chicago
The University of Chicago Medical Center
The University of Illinois at Chicago
W.W. Grainger, Inc.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
City of Chicago, Department of Aviation
City of Chicago, Department of Business Affairs and Licensing
City of Chicago, Department of Planning and Development
Cook County, Department of Planning and Development
City of Chicago, Department of Procurement Services
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois Entrepreneurship Network
U.S. Small Business Administration
U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Women’s Business Ownership
Contact WBDC
MAIN OFFICE – DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
8 South Michigan Avenue
4th Floor
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 853-3477 - General Number
(312) 853-0145 - Fax
TDD number for the WBDC is
1-800-526-0844 (TDD only) or
1-800-526-0857 (operated assisted)
OFFICE HOURS:
Monday – Friday
9:00 am – 5:00 pm
________________
WBE Certification
Finance and Loan information
General information
General information in Spanish
Corporate Partners
Website Questions
Entrepreneurial Training and Counseling For Business Development and Expansion
Meg Herman x. 13 or
mherman@wbdc.org
Procurement Technical Assistance information
