Dr. Dana Hauanio-Lore has been selected to serve as director for the newly funded MBOC program--hosted by the University of Maryland and managed by the Maryland SBDC.
Dana O. Hauanio-Lore, EdD, served as the Executive Director of the Hawai`i MBDA Business Center (HIMBDA), located at the University of Hawai`i at Manoa. At the Center, Dana managed a team of business consultants that provided technical assistance to minority business enterprises in the local community.
The Maryland Business Opportunity Center (MBOC) will be the University's central hub for supporting efforts across the state to start, grow, and sustain businesses owned by minorities, women, and other underserved business owners, most immediately to help them overcome pandemic-related challenges they now confront.
MBOC's focus will include: identifying and connecting with prospective and existing entrepreneurs in our state's communities of greatest need, identifying gaps in services available to the target communities, and working with other business assistance programs to provide greater synergies among and between them on behalf of Maryland's underserved entrepreneurs.
"We see the continued need in our underserved communities to connect with resources for business creation and growth. We hope to collaborate with our partners to promote all phases of entrepreneurship and business opportunities in underserved communities across Maryland," says Hauanio-Lore.
The program was launched thanks to the efforts of Senator Chris Van Hollen and Senator Ben Cardin, who secured Congressionally Directed Spending for the program in FY 2022 and FY 2023.
“As a champion of the new Maryland Business Opportunity Center, I am pleased that a proven leader has been named so that minority, women, and underserved small business owners will get the help and resources they need to continue serving the communities they love,” said U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Chair of the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. “Through this center, our goal is to create a space that will spark long-term success for our small business owners.”
Headquartered at the University of Maryland, College Park, the MBOC will play a significant role in coordinating the often disconnected work throughout our state by academic, nonprofit, government, business, and other providers of services to underserved populations.
“When small businesses succeed, the communities around them succeed. With this direct federal investment, the new MBOC will serve as a hub where minority and women entrepreneurs can find the resources and assistance they need to grow their businesses and create more jobs. With Dr. Hauanio-Lore at the helm, the Center will be able to realize its mission and help continue growing the success of small businesses across our state,” said Senator Van Hollen.
The Maryland Small Business Development Center Network is a partnership between the University of Maryland, College Park, and the U.S. Small Business Administration to facilitate management training and technical assistance to Maryland’s small businesses.
For more information on the Maryland SBDC program and its services, please visit www.marylandsbdc.org.
