Currently, I work as the Director Minority Business Development for The Broward Alliance, Inc. Broward County, Florida's private economic development agency where I: Advocate for the creation and expansion of successful minority business development programs. Some of the programs already created include: The Broward Business Forum, Bright Ideas, FastTrac Entrepreneurial Program, The REACH Project, and the Global Diversity Initiative. Develop emerging business programs to assist in the creation and expansion of minority businesses. Among these projects are: The REACH Project -Retention and Expansion Assistance for the Creation of High-wage-jobs. Manage various retention projects in the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Enterprise Zone and Midtown area. Among them are: Midtown Business Forums, Minority Business Consortium, Midtown REACH Project. Collaborate with economic development partners in all minority business development initiatives. Among them are:Broward County, 30 Cities, Chambers of Commerce, and Business Development Organizations. Position Minority and Women-owned Businesses for growth and expansion opportunities through Minority Certifications, Business Incentives, Financial Resources, Counseling, and Education. Manage the “Minority Scholarship Program” to assist in the growth of 10 minority businesses. Participate in Minority Business Trade Fairs to bring minority businesses and investors to Broward.
1987-1988:Agency for International Development (AID) Scholarship Award. Full scholarship to study Public Administration at Kentucky State University. I competed with the top 3,000 students of Honduras, Centro America for this award.1989-1993:Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration Kentucky State University, Frankfort, KentuckyMinor: Economics GPA: 3.32 on a 4.0 scale1993-1996Worked as the Overseas Promotion and Investment officer for the Government of Honduras where I: Promoted Honduras as an offshore manufacturing site as part of the Caribbean Basin initiative (CBI). Attended US trade shows and recruited US labor-intensive companies for the Country of Honduras. Represented US companies in Honduras and advocated for them to receive investment incentives. Counseled Asian and US companies on Honduran regulations for free zones and industrial parks. Participated in government conferences to identify strategies for the attraction of foreign investment. Assisted the Country of Nicaragua in the creation of foreign trade zones and respective regulations. Introduced investors to top public officials from various bureaus including the President of Honduras. Introduced foreign investors to prominent Honduran entrepreneurs interested in joint ventures.1996-1999Worked as a Business Development Officer with the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale Minority Business Development Center (MBDC)in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where I: Prepared business plans for Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBE) of Broward County. Prepared loan proposals and assisted businesses in identifying funding from various sources. Prepared marketing and financial plans to assist in the expansion of various local businesses. Identified financial resources and business incentives linked to federal, state, and local governments. Provided counseling and support to new and existing Minority and Women Business Enterprises. Developed and maintained business relationships with public and private development organizations. Collaborated with various organizations in the development of trade fairs, workshops, and seminars. Assisted the MBDC in the development of the Minority Enterprise Development Week (MED Week). Volunteered as a business counselor at the Bank of America Small Business Resource Center. 1999 - Present:Currently, I work as the Director Minority Business Development for The Broward Alliance, Inc. Broward County, Florida's private economic development agency where I: Advocate for the creation and expansion of successful minority business development programs. Some of the programs already created include: The Broward Business Forum, Bright Ideas, FastTrac Entrepreneurial Program, The REACH Project, and the Global Diversity Initiative. Develop emerging business programs to assist in the creation and expansion of minority businesses. Among these projects are: The REACH Project -Retention and Expansion Assistance for the Creation of High-wage-jobs. Manage various retention projects in the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Enterprise Zone and Midtown area. Among them are: Midtown Business Forums, Minority Business Consortium, Midtown REACH Project. Collaborate with economic development partners in all minority business development initiatives. Among them are:Broward County, 30 Cities, Chambers of Commerce, and Business Development Organizations. Position Minority and Women-owned Businesses for growth and expansion opportunities through Minority Certifications, Business Incentives, Financial Resources, Counseling, and Education. Manage the “Minority Scholarship Program” to assist in the growth of 10 minority businesses. Participate in Minority Business Trade Fairs to bring minority businesses and investors to Broward.NEXT:I am positioning myself to reach Florida State Government to become a strong advocate for successful initiatives to contribute to the growth of Minorities and Women Owned Businesses (MWBE) and International Businesses.
Most Memorable Moment:
The most memorable moment is the time I was awarded a full scholarship by the United States Agency for International Development in Washington, DC to study at University of Louisville and then at Kentucky State University. This award was given to me in the Country of Honduras, where I come originally from.
