Memo of Understanding signed with NAWBO
WASHINGTON, July 9, 2008 – The Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the leading advocate for and authority on women’s business enterprises (WBEs) as suppliers to the nation’s top corporations and government organizations, bestowed its 2008 Applause Awards to its Regional Partner Organizations, the 13 councils across the country that provide business development opportunities and certify women’s business enterprises (WBE) as 51-percent owned and operated by women.
Linda Denny, President and CEO of WBENC, presented the Applause Awards at the WBENC Women in Business 2008: The Power of Progress Conference and Business Fair in Atlanta last month. The conference reached the highest in attendance in its nine years with nearly 3,000 corporations and WBEs participating and 400 exhibitors.
The organizations and their leaders honored were:
- Michelle Richards, President, Women’s Business Enterprise Council – Great Lakes
- Roz Lewis, Executive Director, Georgia Women’s Business Council and host council for the WIB 2008 Conference and Business Fair
- Diane McClelland, President, Astra Women’s Business Alliance
- Linda Paugh, Board Vice Chair and Acting Interim Director, Women’s Business Enterprise Council-West
- Debbie Hurst, President, Women’s Business Council-Southwest
- Geri Swift, President, Women’s Business Enterprise Council-PA-DE-sNJ
- Carol Dougal, Co-President, Women’s Business Development Center-Chicago
- Marsha Firestone, President, Women Presidents’ Educational Organization –NY
- Nancy Allen, President and CEO, Women’s Business Development Center-FL
- Susan Repka, Executive Director, Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance
- Blanca Robinson, Executive Director, Women’s Business Enterprise Council South
- Donna Mullen Good, CEO, Center for Women & Enterprise
- Liz Cullen, Executive Director, Women Presidents’ Educational Organization -DC
The Applause Awards recognize leaders whose significant accomplishments advance WBENC's work in leveling the playing field to enable women’s businesses and corporations to forge mutually successful business partnerships.
“The Applause Awards honor leaders who drive positive change for women’s business enterprises and the corporations that they serve,” said WBENC President Linda Denny. “Each of these organizations are catalysts for business development and are invaluable partners in WBENC’s mission.”
Honoring Alliances
Also during the WIB 2008 Conference and Business Fair, which took place June 23-26, WBENC signed a Memo of Understanding of cooperation with the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO). In a ceremony on Thursday, June 26, Ms. Denny signed the MOU with NAWBO’s Immediate Past President Lisa Kaiser Hickey.
Denny took the opportunity to recognize organizations that are valuable strategic alliances with WBENC, whose leaders addressed the conference. They were Marsha Firestone, President, Women Presidents’ Organization; Barbara Kasoff, President, Women Impacting Public Policy, and Sharon Hadary, Executive Director, Center for Women’s Business Research.
Enhancing WBE success is the ability to respond to corporations’ global needs. To encourage linkages abroad, WBENC has shared its best practices with other strategic alliances.
To honor these alliances, Denny recognized Sue Lawton, Executive Director of WEConnect UK, an independent entity in the United Kingdom offering certification to women’s business enterprises. WEConnect UK follows many of the best practices established by WBENC, and is joined by corporate and WBE supporters who are prominent leaders in WBENC. Lawton and Lorely Burt, a member of Parliament in the U.K. and a strong supporter of the WEConnect, spoke briefly to the group.
On Friday, June 27, during International Day, an adjunct day of meetings on globalization, Denny signed an MOU with Quantum Leaps, a nonprofit which is incubating WEConnect International, a corporate-led initiative promoting certification of WBEs outside the U.S. based upon WBENC standards.
About WBENC: The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is the leading advocate for, and authority on, women’s business enterprises (WBEs) as suppliers and vendors to the nation’s corporations. Founded in 1997, WBENC is the also nation’s leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with WBENC certification accepted by more than 1,000 corporations, representing America’s most prestigious brands, as well as government entities at the state, local and Federal levels. WBENC brings together 250 major corporate members with its nearly 8,000 certified WBEs to enhance their mutual success at business building events and thought leadership forums throughout the year. Chief among them is the
Women in Business 2008: The Power of Progress, the nation’s largest Conference and Business Fair of its kind, which tool place this year in Atlanta, June 23-26. WBENC is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that seeks and accepts donations from corporations, foundations and individuals that support its mission and programs. For more information, please go to
www.wbenc.org.