Livonia, Michigan – The Great Lakes Women’s Business Council was named Women’s Business Center of Excellence by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The ceremony was held in Washington D.C. during National Small Business Week. At the event, four Resource Partners were honored from across the nation. Director of Business Education Shawntay LaNesha Dixon represented the Council and was lauded by the SBA for her work in development and with implementing business development programs.
receives Women’s Business Center of Excellence award from the U.S. Small Business Administration
at ceremony held in Washington D.C. to mark National Small Business Week
receives Women’s Business Center of Excellence award from the U.S. Small Business Administration
Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman [C] at ceremony held in Washington D.C. to mark National Small Business Week.
Director of Business Education Shawntay Dixon Lauded at Awards Ceremony in Washington D.C.
“Under Shawntay’s leadership, the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council has been recognized as the Women’s Business Center of Excellence by the Association of Women’s Business Centers, a national SBA resource partner. They were also recognized by the SBA Michigan District as a Women’s Business Center of Excellence,” the SBA said in conferring the honor. The Council has also been named as a Regional Women’s Business Center of Excellence.
The federal agency which says it stands as “the voice in President Biden’s Cabinet for America’s more than 33 million small businesses,” noted that Dixon has also distinguished herself by “helping women entrepreneurs, representing their voices on Capitol Hill on multiple occasions, and sharing the impact women make on the economy and in their communities.”
Great Lakes WBC Executive Director Michelle Richards says the award is encouraging as the Council celebrates 40 years of developing women- and minority-owned businesses. “With extraordinary professionals like Shawntay, we have been able to see the entrepreneurs we work with excel,” Richards says. “For example, Michigan’s Small Business Person of the Year, Tiffany Klingensmith, is one of our success stories. Her Unconventional Solutions makes composite repairs and applies protective coatings to safeguard industrial machinery.”
Dixon wrapped up National Small Business Week by announcing the launch of a new initiative of the Council’s Women’s Business Center, that started a cohort this spring, called LaunchU. The program helps early stage entrepreneurs turn their visions into reality. She says, “By providing support to early-stage businesses, we’re not only nurturing their growth but also fostering a more inclusive and dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Dixon is a Certified Workforce Development Professional and a Certified Human Behavior Consultant. Her 20-plus year career as a leader in business and workforce development includes experience as a program manager, director of entrepreneurship, business trainer and coach. She also taught business on the collegiate level. She earned a Master of Business Administration in Management, with an Entrepreneurial Specialty, from Davenport University in 1999, and holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
About the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council – www.greatlakeswbc.org
The Great Lakes Women’s Business Council is a nonprofit champion for women and minority businesses, providing access to capital, certification for women-owned businesses, corporate contracting opportunities, and small business educational support. GLWBC has guided more than 16,000 businesses since its inception.
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