You're invited to join VWEC's long-standing Breakfast with a Banker, sponsored by the Bank of Oklahoma, for our second and final 2026 AEO South-Central Region Tour on:

Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at 8:30 A.M.

South OKC Chamber, 701 Southwest 74th Street, Oklahoma City, OK  73139

AGENDA:

Networking & Breakfast

Welcome & Intros

Speakers:

The Power of Empowerment:

VR Small, AEO, South-Central Region Chair

Keynote:

Daniel Garcia, Business Development Officer, Metafund

Bank of Oklahoma: The Business of Banking Panel

Moderator:

TC Alexander, Senior VP, Community Development Relationship Manager, BOK Financial

Panelists:

Donnie Broms, Mortgage Banker, NMLS #1901681, Bank of Oklahoma

Jahaira Martinez, Vice President, Bilingual Financial Center Leader, Bank of Oklahoma

Will Parsons, Vice President, Financial Center Leader, Bank of Oklahoma

Empowering Entrepreneurial Capital Readiness

As the South-Central Region Chair for the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), VWEC CEO VR Small is supporting ecosystem collaboration across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and New Mexico.

Through this leadership role, VWEC launched the AEO South Central Region Tour, powered by BOK Financial, convening entrepreneurs, financial institutions, and ecosystem partners to advance our theme and shared mission of Empowering Entrepreneurial Capital Readiness. This collaboration is designed to help entrepreneurs effectively engage capital providers while expanding access to financial education and credit development.

"Empowering entrepreneurs requires more than inspiration and information. It requires intentional technical assistance, capital infrastructure, financial frameworks, and ecosystem alignment designed to build sustainable businesses that smash survival statistics.” ~VR Small

Join us as we connect entrepreneurs and ecosystem leaders to build businesses that last.

VWEC Veteran Women Entrepreneur: National Focus Group Series - Oklahoma City

As VWEC celebrates its ninth year supporting veteran women entrepreneurs, we are focusing on implementing our next-level transformation to enhance service availability across the nation. To this end, we want to hear from you!

As a part of our 2026 AEO South Central Region Tour, we are hosting a Focus Groups exclusively with Veteran Women Entrepreneurs.  ‍

What You Need to Know:

Veteran women entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in our business landscape, driving innovation, economic growth, and employment opportunities. Despite your invaluable contributions, we know you often encounter unique obstacles on your path to success.

To better understand and address these challenges, we are hosting a series of in-person focus groups across the nation, specifically designed for you—veteran women business owners.

Purpose:

This Focus Group seeks to glean insights into your experiences, needs, and aspirations as they relate to available business support. By delving into your challenges and resource requirements, we will be armed with the data to craft tailored initiatives and the appropriate infrastructure to bolster your success.

Benefits of Participation - Influence Change, Access Resources, Network, Visibility, Recognition, and Community Empowerment:

Your Voice can directly impact the development of policies and programs supporting the entrepreneur ecosystem for veteran women-owned businesses.

Your Voice will provide insight that can guide the creation of tailored initiatives to address identified gaps in services and support.

Your Voice will aid in raising awareness of the true impact of veteran women-owned businesses, create enhanced opportunities, and highlight your economic contributions.

The narrative for veteran women entrepreneurs is yours to narrate.

Submit your interest to participate by completing a brief pre-survey, so we can ensure a diverse representation of industries and businesses from your area.  

Register: https://bit.ly/VWENationalFocusGroups

INTERESED IN BEING A HOST PARTNERS:

‍To learn more about becoming a Host Partner, email info@veteranwomensec.org with the subject: Host Partner (and your city). Host Partners are needed in Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Host Partner referrals will have first choice at participation. Note: The final selection must represent a mix of industries and business stages.