NAWBO Institute Board Chair moderates panel of historical NAWBO trailblazers at National Women’s Business Council event.
Washington, D.C. —Today, the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) will present “NAWBO Trailblazers of H.R. 5050” at the National Women’s Business Council’s (NWBC) 30th Anniversary of HR 5050 event. NAWBO Institute for Entrepreneurial Development Board Chair Loreen Gilbert will moderate a panel featuring Virginia Littlejohn and Phyllis Hill Slater, both of whom are former NWBC Council Members and both of whom served pivotal roles as NAWBO advocates during the push for the Women’s Business Ownership Act in 1988, which has become commonly referred to as H.R. 5050.
“I am honored to moderate today’s panel of NAWBO Trailblazers. Thankfully, we had people ahead of us who paved the way for women business owners and made it possible for someone like me to grow my business, buy the building I’m in and move the needle — and do it on my own,” said Loreen Gilbert, NAWBO Institute for Entrepreneurial Development Board Chair.
“As we celebrate and commemorate the passage of H.R. 5050, the Women’s Business Ownership Act, and the tremendous gains made by women business owners these past 30 years, we must also recognize how fragile those gains are without constant vigilance and advocacy. At the National Women’s Business Council (NWBC), we remain committed to just that – to providing a platform to expand and improve opportunities for women business owners and their enterprises – from start-up to success to continued significance,” said NWBC Chair Liz Sara.
This morning’s event will also include a fireside chat with U.S. Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon and NWBC Chair Liz Sara as well as a forward thinking panel titled, “Blazing Trails for the Next 30 Years” with representatives from the D.C. entrepreneurial network.
Earlier this year, NAWBO released “Spotlight on H.R. 5050: The Bill that Changed Everything for Women Business Owners.” This white paper, sponsored by The PNC Financial Services Group, reflects on the provisions that transformed the course for women business owners. The white paper includes anecdotes of NAWBO leaders who played a role in H.R. 5050, as well as assessments of the current status of women business owners from NAWBO leaders and luminaries in the women business owner community including SBA Administrator Linda McMahon and former NWBC Chair Carla Harris.
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About NAWBO
Founded in 1975, NAWBO is the unified voice of America’s more than 10 million women-owned businesses representing the fastest growing segment of the economy. NAWBO is the only dues-based organization representing the interests of all women entrepreneurs across all industries. NAWBO develops programs that help navigate women entrepreneurs through the various stages of their business growth. To learn more, please visit www.nawbo.org.