Officials with the U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced the formation of the Minority Business Development Agency’s (MBDA) Minority Business Enterprise Advisory Council with the appointment of key Black entrepreneurs serving on the panel.
The Advisory Council is a product of The Minority Business Development Act of 2021 and is tasked with advising and assisting the MBDA in their mission to promote the growth of minority-owned businesses.
“The Minority Business Enterprise Advisory Council is a critical lever of MBDA’s role as a leading authority for minority and underserved businesses,” said Donald R. Cravins, the outgoing undersecretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development. “We have selected 19 leaders from the public and private sector with proven experience advancing opportunities for the businesses we serve. Their leadership and influence will be invaluable to MBDA’s impact and mission to create a strong, equitable economy that gives Americans a shot at building a successful business.”
Members of the council will serve a two-year term and may be reappointed. The council is composed of nine private sector members and one representative of federal agencies that support business formation, labor development, monetary policy, national security, agriculture, transportation, and housing.
Black private sector members include Ron Busby, president and CEO of U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.; Harry E. Johnson Sr., president, and CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Foundation; Janice Bryant Howroyd, CEO of ActOne Group and David Steward, chairman and founder of World-Wide Technology.