● Celebrating Eight Years of Milestones with the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center

NWBC Executive Director Tené Dolphin attended the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s event in New York, and on its behalf, she presented the first-ever Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center Entrepreneur of the Year award to actress and businesswoman Keke Palmer.

Tené Dolphin, Keke Palmer, and Keitha Pansy, Global GTM Activation Lead, Biz Apps, Microsoft

● NWBC and H.R. 5050’s 35th Anniversary

NWBC marked its creation through the historic enactment of the Women’s Business Ownership Act 35 years ago with a joyous virtual celebration of the formidable network it has helped to build and the opportunities it has created for women in business. This event reunited many inspiring members of the small business sisterhood and HERstory makers whose guidance and wisdom have ensured that NWBC would become and remain a respected and effective advocate within government for women entrepreneurs. During the event, a panel of prominent current and past Council Members discussed NWBC’s systemic achievements, its influence on its members and constituents, and the future of women’s business ownership and policy innovations that drive it. Many emphasized the importance of continuing to shift language, attitudes, and expectations to normalize women’s leadership and the critical importance of NWBC’s steady presence to ensure consistent progress.

NWBC also shared special congratulatory messages from supporters ranging from SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman and SCORE CEO Bridget Weston to members of Congress hailing from throughout the country.

SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman

● 15th Anniversary Celebration of Fair Pay Legislation

NWBC staff participated in the White House’s anniversary celebration of the enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, featuring a conversation with U.S. Women’s Soccer national team veteran Tobin Heath. This landmark legislation ensures fair opportunity for women to challenge gender-based disparities in pay.

White House Gender Policy Council Director Jennifer Klein interviews former U.S. Women’s Soccer star and fair pay activist Tobin Heath.

● Washington Women of Excellence Awards

NWBC Executive Director Tené Dolphin attended this event coordinated by Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives. Honorees included two past collaborators of NWBC and SBA: Madia Brown, founder of Brandire, and Delia Gonçalves, reporter and weekend anchor for WUSA9 News.

● Public Meeting

NWBC held its first public meeting for FY24 in Washington, D.C. Council Members presented and discussed 2023 policy recommendations and the 2023 NWBC Annual Report. NWBC shared an overview of its plans for research in 2024 and findings from the first phase of its environmental scan of assets and challenges for women entrepreneurs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. In addition, organizational partners shared their 2024 policy priorities for women-owned small businesses, and the Council also presented findings from the first phase of its research on the assets and needs of women entrepreneurs in rural, tribal, and underserved communities.

Council Member Roberta McCullough addresses the Public Meeting.

● Congressional Briefing on NWBC FY23 Annual Report

NWBC held a Congressional briefing in partnership with the Senate’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, during which Council Members presented policy recommendations and personal testimony to the potential beneficial effects of adopting recommended policy changes.

NWBC presents a briefing on the Hill, hosted by the Senate Small Business Committee

● Letter to Congressional Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group

NWBC contributed written testimony in response to a Congressional Bipartisan Paid Family Leave Working Group’s publication of a request for information from interested stakeholders, emphasizing that systems to provide expanded coverage must actively support small businesses’ participation and flatten the economy-ofscale advantages that larger employers enjoy in securing benefits to attract employees.

● Testimony to the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee

NWBC submitted written testimony to the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee in connection with a hearing entitled, “The Role of Childcare Small Businesses in Supporting Parents and the American Workforce.” Its contribution summarized research showing the demographically and geographically disparate negative effects of lack of access to childcare and shared NWBC policy recommendations for strengthening childcare provider businesses and supporting families struggling to afford services.

● Address to Democratic Women’s Caucus

Council Chair Sima Ladjevardian addressed a gathering of Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus, noting progress for entrepreneurs since the enactment of H.R. 5050. Her remarks spotlighted important NWBC policy recommendations, including funding federal agencies to market to women and increasing goals and efforts to buy goods and services from women-owned small businesses (WOSBs).

● Public Meeting

NWBC presented its second public meeting of the year in a virtual format. In addition to reporting on subcommittee meetings and topics of discussion, Council Members hosted a presentation from Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center CEO Nicola Corzine on findings from research of women owners’ lived experiences. The meeting also featured SBA leaders from a crosssection of programmatic offices speaking about new federal services and engagement opportunities for small businesses and organizations supporting them.

● Public Meeting

NWBC held its third public meeting in Washington, D.C. Council Members deliberated and voted on 2024 policy recommendations and responded to questions and comments from members of the public. The Council also heard from several stakeholders who shared their personal entrepreneurial stories and spoke about the potential impact of policy recommendations on their businesses and other women-owned enterprises.

● Meeting with Egyptian Delegation

NWBC staff hosted a visiting delegation of Egyptian businesswomen and shared an overview of the Council’s history, achievements, and principal challenges for women in business in the United States.

● Meeting with African and Caribbean Delegation

NWBC staff met with a visiting delegation of African and Caribbean businesswomen and business community leaders. After presenting the Council’s structure and the history behind advances toward economic parity for American women, NWBC had the opportunity to learn about parallel movements in countries around the world and their challenges and triumphs.

● GET Cities’ Hack for Impact Innovators’ Bash

NWBC Executive Director Tené Dolphin spoke on a panel moderated by GET Cities’ Dorian Spears, which featured Aisha Bond of the Greater Washington Black Chamber of Commerce during this event. The discussion explored how innovation policy touches all lives and how each person, in turn, can support and advance women’s business ownership.

● SBA Women’s Business Summit

NWBC and SBA marked Women’s History Month by cohosting the 3rd Annual Women’s Business Summit in partnership with the Association of Women’s Business Centers, the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College, and Microsoft. NWBC helped choose the theme and content, share invitations, and manage logistical preparations for the daylong event, which provided rich opportunities to connect with business owners and leaders in women’s business enterprises and to learn and grow during panel and one-on-one conversations.

Among other tasks, NWBC recruited participants and led a conversation on public-private partnerships, making new spaces for women-owned businesses in industries of the future. Speakers representing small businesses, government, philanthropy, and economic development officers shared critical policy insights during this panel. For example, partners must set goals for women-owned and underserved project participation before issuing requests for bids, while project managers may include private philanthropy as a collaborator to enable greater experimentation and risk-taking to support new entrants. This, and other presentations throughout the day, highlighted women’s significant progress and accomplishments in business, particularly in the post-pandemic small business boom of new startups.

Council Member Dr. Shakenna Williams speaks to Women’s Business Summit attendees.

● SBA WERG Women’s History Month Event

NWBC staff shared information about the Council’s history, accomplishments, and partnerships across SBA in a presentation during a Women’s History Month celebration organized by the agency’s Women’s Entrepreneurship Resource Group (WERG). The session helped to build pride in SBA’s efforts and broad awareness of the breadth of opportunity to advance women’s inclusion in all aspects of SBA’s work.

● WBENC Conference

NWBC Council Members and staff participated in the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council’s (WBENC’s) annual conference and gathered feedback and recommendations from scores of small business owners, advocates, procurement officers, and others over four illuminating days. NWBC’s exhibit booth invited stakeholders to test their policy knowledge and share their frustrations and ideas to strengthen the WOSB support ecosystem. Issues that were top of mind included reducing the burden involved in selling to multiple levels of government and different private customers and overcoming negative presumptions and attitudes to secure affordable capital.

● Project REACh Summit

NWBC attended the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s Project REACh (Roundtable for Economic Access and Change) Financial Inclusion Summit to learn about and share techniques for expanding access to funding for underserved populations, including women entrepreneurs. NWBC also provided support during FY24 for discrete Project REACh initiatives by suggesting and making connections between project leaders and outside resource partners.

● Address to Diana International Research Institute Annual Conference

NWBC Council Members Dr. Shakenna Williams and Selena Rodgers Dickerson attended and spoke to this gathering of international researchers and thought leaders in Sweden working to advance women’s leadership and entrepreneurship. They presented the Council’s mission and focus areas and explored outcomes and lessons from recent engagements and research releases, particularly around women in STEM professions.

● Address to NAWBO Advocacy Days

Council Member Samantha Abrams spoke on the current state of small businesses to members of NAWBO gathered for the organization’s Advocacy Days events. Audience members transitioned from this speech to meetings with members of Congress and Congressional staff to seek support for key priorities, such as wider access to affordable childcare.

● WACIF Cultivate Summit

NWBC staff participated in this daylong meeting of constituents and partners of the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (WACIF), its Enterprising Women of Color Center, and its forthcoming Women’s Business Center (WBC). Participants discussed leadership development, innovations in business certification and development like SBA’s forthcoming single business certification portal and process, and capitalizing on unique strengths and experience navigating challenges to succeed.

WACIF staff and clients pose with MBDA Acting Chief Operations Officer Donald Smith.

● Association of Women’s Business Centers Conference

NWBC staff and Council Members participated in this gathering of WBC operators alongside many colleagues from SBA and other stakeholder organizations. Staff also presented the technical assistance implications of NWBC’s research on women in STEM industries. While staffing an exhibition booth, NWBC representatives met with and collected insights based on lived experience from scores of expert technical assistance providers working throughout the country to address women entrepreneurs’ most pressing needs.

● Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference

NWBC Council Members and staff participated in this annual convening, which featured presentations and discussions of policy issues impacting Black communities. During panels, workshops, networking events, and exhibitions, staff gathered updated data, analysis, and thought leadership on Black economic empowerment and developed relationships with resource people and institutions to inform the Council’s policy recommendations.

● Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Leadership Conference

Council Member Samantha Abrams spoke as part of a panel that explored opportunities for Latino entrepreneurs in incubators and accelerators, and NWBC staff attended sessions and engaged in conversations during this annual policy-focused conference around key subjects relevant to unlocking Latinas’ economic potential, like wealth-building through public-private partnerships and conducting procurement thoughtfully. Lessons learned and relationships formed will help to build an understanding of recent trends and recommendations that leverage and expand Latinas’ recent entrepreneurial boom.

● Profile of Chair in Authority Magazine

NWBC Chair Sima Ladjevardian, an accomplished lawyer, mother of two, small business owner, and community and political activist, was featured in a story in Authority Magazine focused on five needs for success as a woman founder.

● Connecting Women Entrepreneurs to Federal Opportunities Roundtable

NWBC organized an in-person roundtable conversation focused on increasing access for women entrepreneurs to government-funded opportunities in high-yield, high-growth industries of the future. The event featured conversation and helped forge new connections between important voices in government, civil society, and the business world, all in support of opening doors to collaborating with the government and participating in projects and programs connected to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS for America Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act. During the event, NWBC also featured the results of its research on women’s business creation and ownership in STEM and related industries.

● Streamlining and Synchronizing Business Certification Roundtable

NWBC gathered stakeholders for this virtual discussion of opportunities to improve the business certification experience for women-owned and other underrepresented firms. Leaders who administer and engage with many of the hundreds of certifications available nationally shared their experiences and recommendations, highlighting essential elements for certification and cooperation across agencies and companies.

● Reimagining Access: Transforming Government Funding Practices Roundtable

NWBC hosted a conversation between advocates for and technical assistance providers to small businesses and government procurement professionals to better understand the pain points in the purchasing process for each and to consider procedural changes most likely to widen opportunity for women-owned and other underrepresented businesses. While government representatives pointed to several positive developments, the discussion also highlighted opportunities to make continued progress in areas like simplifying solicitations and standardizing application requirements.

● NWBC Instagram Live Launch

NWBC Chair Sima Ladjevardian hosted the inaugural presentation of a new Instagram Live series featuring short conversations with talented and accomplished business community leaders about changing the game for women entrepreneurs. Assistant Administrator for SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership Christina Hale took the mic, spoke about her personal and professional journeys, and encouraged women to believe in themselves as innovators and to seek out assistance along the way from WBCs and other federal resources. A subsequent presentation featured special guest, Nyakio Grieco, a beauty entrepreneur and co-founder of Thirteen Lune.