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About the WBCNAThe mission of the WBCNA is to help women and men achieve their greatest potential and generate economic growth for the region. This is accomplished by serving as a focal point for information and access to resources; facilitating their self-discovery and personal development; and providing a formal mentoring process to support, nurture and advocate the development of their business. The WBCNA’s first planning meeting was held in June 2000, the organization was incorporated in 2003 as a non-profit corporation in the State of Alabama, and received its 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS in 2004. The organization began serving clients in 2003 and operated with an all-volunteer organization until October 2005, when it contracted with Joanne Randolph to serve as part-time Executive Director. In 2005, the WBCNA became a Technical Assistance Provider for the new Small Business Association (SBA) Community Express Loan Program. This program was designed specifically for start-ups and early stage small businesses that are unable to receive funds from traditional lenders. To date, the WBCNA has helped numerous business owners receive more than $1,500,000 in business loans. Since lack of sufficient funding is one of the 10 top reasons most small businesses fail, we believe this loan program will be instrumental in increasing the number of successful businesses in our community. Until 2006, WBCNA operated on seed monies provided by local businesses and individuals such as Bobby Bradley, Nancy Archeluta, Remigius Shatas, Karen Stanley, Sheila Brown, Sharon Morgan, Arlene Stackhouse, Donna Lamb, etc. The WBCNA received a 5-year SBA grant for $150,000 per year. We are one of only 99 Women’s Business Centers around the country funded by the SBA. With the receipt of the grant, WBCNA hired two full-time employees---Joanne Randolph as the Executive Director and Donna Waldrep as the Administrative Assistant. Women business owners are critically important to the American economy. America's 9.1 million women-owned businesses employ 27.5 million people and contribute $3.6 trillion to the economy. However, barriers to opportunity still prevent some women from taking full advantage of the opportunity to own a small business. By expanding the ability for more women to realize their business ownership dreams, we will be able to diversify and strengthen the foundation of our economy. The TeamJoanne Randolph, PresidentMs. Randolph is the former President & CEO of BizTech, Huntsville's technology incubator, which she helped launch in 1997.
In February 2006, Ms. Randolph was selected as the 2006 Small Business Advocate of the Year by the National Small Business Association (NSBA) for the Lower South Region comprised of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, and Texas. Subsequently, Ms. Randolph was profiled in the April 2006 issue of Money magazine. Ms. Randolph served on the Board of Directors of the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA), an international organization with members in all 50 states and 55 countries. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Business Council of Alabama and chaired their Small Business Committee. She is an active member of the Huntsville Rotary Club, the Past President of the Alabama Business Incubation Network, and a founding board member of the Alabama Information Technology Association. She is a graduate of the 2000 Huntsville-Madison County Leadership Class and the 2003 Leadership Alabama Class. She was also the 2005-2006 Chair of the Leadership Huntsville-Madison County Alumni Association.
Hilary Claybourne, USDA Program Manager and Business Coach
She has nearly 20 years of diverse experience having worked and consulted with Fortune 500 companies such as BP Amoco, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, InterContinental Hotels Group and Intergraph, to dotcom companies like PeopleSoft, to government entities such as the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, and the U.S. Army. She has served on various non-profit boards supporting civic and philanthropic activities. Ms. Claybourne has taught business strategy, entrepreneurial and organizational management classes at several universities such as University of Maryland, University of Laverne, Athens State and University of Alabama in Huntsville where faculty selected her to be an Adjunct Faculty Member and students selected her Most Outstanding Business Professor. She served as the Faculty Advisor for the UAH American Marketing Association Chapter which was selected the 3rd best overall chapter out of 129 chapters at the annual international conference. Ms. Claybourne was born in New Orleans and spent most of her growing up years in Huntsville, Alabama. She lived and worked in Europe for 8 years and has working knowledge of German, Italian and French.
Miriam Gilbert, WIRED Program Manager and Business Coach
Ms. Gilbert's professional career has included executive, management, and engineering positions with several corporations including Texas Instruments, Digital Equipment Corporation (Hewlett-Packard) and AT&T. Ms. Gilbert's role with each of these companies was that of change agent as the corporations moved into new business arenas. Ms. Gilbert has successfully delivered executive coaching, training and consulting to leaders and leadership teams for organizations such as Southwestern Bell Communications (SBC), Cinergy, Inc, IBM, Wells Fargo Bank, Visa, VF Corporation, Pacific Bell, Altarum Institute, New Vectors LLC, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Phoenix Indian Medical Center, the United States Army, United States Air Force, United Nations as well as many other successful corporate and government enterprises.
Stephanie Sellers, Office Manager Chronology
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Ms. Randolph has a BS degree in Management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and spent the first 20 years of her career in the IT industry, working for NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center and Grumman Data Systems. Ms. Randolph began exploring small business opportunities in the early 90's, an adventure that equipped her with experience in entrepreneurship, business management, mentoring, business incubation, international marketing, property management, and telecommunications.
Ms. Claybourne has a Masters in Business Administration from Boston University and Bachelors in Business Administrations from University of Alabama with a focus on International Management/Marketing, computer science and French.
Miriam Gilbert began consulting, training, and coaching independently in 1998. She guides leaders and leadership teams through the challenges and complexities of growth, change and transformation. The results - a highly focused and aligned executive team effectively changing their world with clear intention and purpose.
Stephanie is a Veteran of the United States Air Force with over 20 years administrative experience specializing in procurement, legal, customer service, and inside sales. She is recognized for her ability to adapt to the ever-changing business world, her outstanding analytical skills, and her attention to detail.
