2021-Present

NorCal Regional Advisor, California Office of the Small Business Advocate

Part of the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), CalOSBA represents the voice of the small business-owner in California and helps build the statewide ecosystem to deliver information, content & resources to small businesses. Regional Advisors are appointed by the Governor.

‣    The NorCal Regional Advisor serves as the principal representative of the CalOSBA office to 32 counties of Northern California, developing relationships with local, state and federal partners 

‣    Represent office on the Economic Recovery Support Function 

‣    Prepared budget proposals and trailer bill language for GO-Biz FY 2022-23 budget

2019-2021

First-year project:               Launching an Opportunity Zone in Fresno

Second-year project:           Building a Template for Inclusive Economic Development

Key Accomplishments:

‣    Led 2020 deployment team of nearly $5 million in CARES Act funding through Save Our Small Businesses working capital grants in partnership with the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation as well as $500,000 for the Save Our Non-Profits grant program

‣    Launched the first Kiva Hub in Fresno in partnership with the Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by the National League of Cities Innovation Ecosystems program

‣    Launched the Opportunity Fresno prospectus for 47 Opportunity Zones

‣    Led the 2021 strategic planning focusing on four sets of initiatives: Business Expansion & Neighborhood Development, Downtown Revitalization, Business Startup & Financing Support and Economic Diversification.

‣    Nominating partner for the Inner City Capital Connections Northern California cohort

‣    Panelist at the 2020 ICMA (International City/County Management Association) Regional Conference speaking on the use of Opportunity Zones as evaluation criteria for federally funded small business grants

‣    Wrote the budget narrative for the FY 2022 Proposed Departmental Budget

‣    Grew email database from 0 to 3,500+ in six months and launched department's first social media channels 

‣    Completed Aberkyn Leadership Development coaching, a McKinsey-development methodology focused on mindset and behavioral change in organizations

Make: combines print and online content, events and e-commerce in support of the Maker Movement, a tech-influenced DIY community. I was responsible for aligning business goals with the needs of the maker community and managing a cross-functional team of 15-20 across engineering, event management, content development and marketing. I championed a strategy focused on professional development for makers and evangelized learning & financial outcomes to potential investors, including venture funds, philanthropic non-profits and Corporate & Social Responsibility managers.

‣     Pitched investment opportunity resulting in three Letters of Intent from outside investors and private equity and 2019 asset purchase by founder

‣     Ideated and operationalized an online portfolio and community platform branded Maker Share as part of a $3M strategic partnership with Intel, posting $300K net income in first year

‣     Led digital growth strategy resulting in 62% YOY user account growth in 2018; a 25% YOY increase in total email file size in 2018; and the creation of new earned revenue channels through a monetized membership program and a blended-learning SAAS platform

‣     Created print and digital content including branded activations for Digi-Key Electronics, eBay, Barnes & Noble, AT&T, and GE in collaboration with Hackster.io

‣     Built product design process & team from scratch to 7-person operation