NAWBO Celebrate 20th Anniversary of Landmark Women's Business Legislation

HR 5050 - Women's Business Ownership Act of 2988

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 28, 2008

Contact: Media Relations
800-556-2926
media@nawbo.org

(Washington, DC)  With more than 10.4  million women-owned businesses across the country, women entrepreneurs make up  the fastest-growing segment of the market and are a growing national economic,  social and political force.
   
The National Association of Women Business Owners® this month is celebrating the 20th anniversary  of the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988, which NAWBO was instrumental in  passing and that was key in boosting women entrepreneurs' access to capital.
 
The legislation led to a 30 percent surge in the number of  women-owned businesses in the country over the past two decades, and led to the  creation of the National Women's Business Council, SBA Office of Women's  Business Ownership and the Women's Business Center Program.  
 
On Sept. 10 at the U.S. Capitol, NAWBO will take part in a  special reception that will bring together the "founding mothers" of  the women's entrepreneurship community, legislators who were at the forefront  of the original passage of H.R. 5050, and current congressional advocates.
 
Looking  forward, NAWBO also will take part in unveiling "Roadmap to 2020" – a  strategic action plan to fuel the growth of women's enterprise development in  the United States  for the future.
 
NAWBO experts available for comment include:
 
CYNTHIA  MCCLAIN-HILL, Esq., President of NAWBO's Board of Directors and co-founder of  Strategic Counsel, a Los Angeles-based law firm specializing in strategic  public policy development with an emphasis in corporate, administrative and  environmental issues. She has served on the California Coastal Commission and  the California Fair Political Practices Commission. In a recent survey of  65,000 of her peers, McClain-Hill was named one of Southern   California's "Super Lawyers," a distinction reserved for  the top 5 percent of the state's practicing attorneys.
 
WENDY A.  LOPEZ, P.E., President-Elect of NAWBO and CEO of Dallas-based Lopezgarcia  Group, a 220-employee multidisciplinary environmental and engineering services. Lopez is  on a number of national and local boards and committees and is the recipient of  Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year, Southwest Region, 2007, award.

LISA KAISER HICKEY, Immediate Past President of NAWBO and  President/CEO of Douglass Screen Printers, Lakeland, Fla.,  a multimillion-dollar full-service screen and digital printing company.  Douglass Screen Printers is one of only five Certified 3M Aircraft Film  converters in the world and one of the elite few Certified Scotchprint Graphic  Manufacturers in the country.

HELEN  HAN, Interim Executive Director of NAWBO and previously Chief Executive Officer  of NAWBO-Los Angeles, one of the largest chapters in the country. Prior to  joining NAWBO-LA, Han was senior program manager at the Price Center for  Entrepreneurial Studies at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where her  primarily responsibility included the oversight, development, implementation  and evaluation of academic conferences and executive education programs for  entrepreneurs
 
LISA  JOHNSON, member of NAWBO's Board of Directors and president and CEO of Gourmet  Kitchens Inc., a manufacturer of fresh, prepared foods headquartered in Chicago. Her  leadership and innovative management have allowed her company to grow into one  of the most successful organizations in the perishable industry. Lisa has been involved with NAWBO's Chicago Area Chapter  since 1993.

CLAIRE  GUTHRIE GASTANAGA, member of NAWBO's Board of Directors and principal and chief  strategist of D.C.-area CG2 Consulting, focusing on strategic business and  public policy advocacy for women and minority owned businesses, trade  associations and grass roots organizations, and to the political campaigns of  women candidates.
 
As  the pre-eminent national women-owned business organization, NAWBO works to  strengthen wealth-creating capacity of women entrepreneurs, transform public  policy, boost diversity initiatives that expand access to leadership  opportunities and capital, and promote a sustainable social entrepreneurial  vision.

To  request media interviews with NAWBO's nationally recognized experts, contact  NAWBO Media Relations at 800-556-2926.