PRESS RELEASES & ARTICLES
Women Veterans ROCK! Salutes Their New 2030 Commissioners
Women Veterans ROCK! Salutes Their New 2030 Commissioners
The 2030 Commission is the nation’s most unique coalition of Military Affairs Experts, Women Veterans, Active-Duty Servicewomen, Reservists, ROTC Cadets, Military Spouses and Military Moms. This powerful group of Military Women Influencers represents the most culturally, geographically, and demographically diverse assembly of Military Women and Military Supporters in America today. They are actively engaged Public Policy Advocates representing the voices of today’s rapidly growing community of Women Veterans and Military Families.
The twenty newly appointed Commissioners To The 2030 Commission include: Dr. Gybrilla Ballard-Blakes (MD); Elana Banis (PA); Captain Latinya Channer, (R), (PA); Rochelle Crump, WAC, (R), (IL); Captain Janice Gavern, (R), (PA); NCO Theresa Hastings, (R), (PA); Dr. Serelda Herbin, EO, (R), (VA); MSgt. Robin Johnson (VA); LTC Consuelo Castillo-Kickbusch (R), (NV), Grace Wu Kong, Advocacte, (PA); Colonel Mary Lowe Mayhugh (R), (DC); Lieutenant Michelle Norton (PA); NCO Barbara Pittman (R), (DC); Lieutenant Dr. Dana Robinson-Street (R), (OH); Ron E. Armstead, Veterans Policy Advocate (R), (MA); Gloria Sinclair Miller (FL); VR Small (TX); Melissa A. Washington (CA); 1SG Jaynene Smith, (R), TX); CSM Claudette Williams, (R), (PA).
The 2030 Commission is the nation’s most unique coalition of Military Affairs Experts, Women Veterans, Active-Duty Servicewomen, Reservists, ROTC Cadets, Military Spouses and Military Moms. This powerful group of Military Women Influencers represents the most culturally, geographically, and demographically diverse assembly of Military Women and Military Supporters in America today. They are actively engaged Public Policy Advocates representing the voices of today’s rapidly growing community of Women Veterans and Military Families.
The twenty newly appointed Commissioners To The 2030 Commission include: Dr. Gybrilla Ballard-Blakes (MD); Elana Banis (PA); Captain Latinya Channer, (R), (PA); Rochelle Crump, WAC, (R), (IL); Captain Janice Gavern, (R), (PA); NCO Theresa Hastings, (R), (PA); Dr. Serelda Herbin, EO, (R), (VA); MSgt. Robin Johnson (VA); LTC Consuelo Castillo-Kickbusch (R), (NV), Grace Wu Kong, Advocacte, (PA); Colonel Mary Lowe Mayhugh (R), (DC); Lieutenant Michelle Norton (PA); NCO Barbara Pittman (R), (DC); Lieutenant Dr. Dana Robinson-Street (R), (OH); Ron E. Armstead, Veterans Policy Advocate (R), (MA); Gloria Sinclair Miller (FL); VR Small (TX); Melissa A. Washington (CA); 1SG Jaynene Smith, (R), TX); CSM Claudette Williams, (R), (PA).
Read the full press release.
Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center Founder and CEO VR Small named 2021 Women Veterans Trailblazer by the Veteran Administration
DALLAS, TX – The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Center for Women Veteran’s (CWV) 2021 Trailblazers: Women Veterans Leading the Way campaign has tapped Navy Veteran and CEO and Founder of the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center (VWEC), VR Small, as one of their honorees.
DALLAS, TX – The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Center for Women Veteran’s (CWV) 2021 Trailblazers: Women Veterans Leading the Way campaign has tapped Navy Veteran and CEO and Founder of the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center (VWEC), VR Small, as one of their honorees.
Veteran Women's Enterprise Center CEO VR Small named among 2021 Women Veteran Trailblazers by Veteran Administration
Veteran Women's Enterprise Center CEO VR Small named among 2021 Women Veteran Trailblazers by Veteran Administration
DALLAS, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, April 26, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Center for Women Veteran’s (CWV) 2021 Trailblazers: Women Veterans Leading the Way campaign has tapped Navy Veteran and CEO and Founder of the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center (VWEC), VR Small, as one of their honorees.
CWV sponsors the annual campaign in honor of Women’s History Month and throughout the year celebrates the contributions of these trailblazers and women Veterans, representing all military branches, during and after their military service. “The Trailblazer recognition really speaks to the work that the VWEC has done in leading the way in innovative programming for veteran women entrepreneurs,” says Small. “We launched the first Dallas/Fort Worth Veteran Women’s Grant Program, and it empowered the women that participated in our program to not only survive COVID 19, but we were able to literally take them to the next level and transform their businesses; so, they could thrive. Receiving this honor from the VA was humbling and made us very proud about the work that we are doing.
DALLAS, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, April 26, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) Center for Women Veteran’s (CWV) 2021 Trailblazers: Women Veterans Leading the Way campaign has tapped Navy Veteran and CEO and Founder of the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center (VWEC), VR Small, as one of their honorees.
CWV sponsors the annual campaign in honor of Women’s History Month and throughout the year celebrates the contributions of these trailblazers and women Veterans, representing all military branches, during and after their military service. “The Trailblazer recognition really speaks to the work that the VWEC has done in leading the way in innovative programming for veteran women entrepreneurs,” says Small. “We launched the first Dallas/Fort Worth Veteran Women’s Grant Program, and it empowered the women that participated in our program to not only survive COVID 19, but we were able to literally take them to the next level and transform their businesses; so, they could thrive. Receiving this honor from the VA was humbling and made us very proud about the work that we are doing.
Texas Metro News: Here they are! The Superb Women of March 2021
Texas Metro News: Here they are! The Superb Women of March 2021
Her name is “Small” but there’s nothing small about her heart and commitment. VR Small is a Navy Veteran. VR Small is the founder and CEO of the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center in Dallas, Texas. An alum of Lincoln University of PA, she had the Center built to help Veteran women and women military spouse-owned businesses get what they need to help them start their business or grow their business.
Her name is “Small” but there’s nothing small about her heart and commitment. VR Small is a Navy Veteran. VR Small is the founder and CEO of the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center in Dallas, Texas.
An alum of Lincoln University of PA, she had the Center built to help Veteran women and women military spouse-owned businesses get what they need to help them start their business or grow their business. It has an incubator, so at least six Veteran women can have office space until they can afford market value leasing for office space. The Center has conference rooms and a break room. VR developed a program called the Next Level Business Transformation, it was given to five women, four Veteran women owned businesses and one military spouse-woman owned business. She also formulated a strategic alliance with the Homeless Veteran Services of Dallas (HVSD), which manages the Veteran Transition and Resource Center (VTRC) facility owned by the Veteran Administration. She’s been an adjunct professor and also served on Rep. Victoria Neave’s Sexual Violence Task Force and on the advisory committee of the Center for Women Entrepreneurs at Texas Woman’s University. VR’s ability to engage and develop supportive relationships with key political representatives prompted her invite to testify in support of the original House Bill 2698 to make June 12th Women Veterans Day in Texas. VR, thanks for your service, THEN and NOW!
The Veteran Women's Enterprise Center in Partnership with Southern Methodist University Conducts National Focus Groups
The VWEC seeks to provide real-time data for additional funding and resources for women veteran entrepreneurs
The data collected from our focus groups will offer metrics that clearly identify how women veteran entrepreneurs are driving our economy”— VR Small, CEO and Founder, Veteran Women's Enterprise Center
VR Small SBA DFW 2020 Veteran Small Business Champion
Congrats to all the U.S. Small Business Administration 2020 Award Recipients recognized at the Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, 2020 Salute to North Texas Small Business Awards event LIVE virtually for quests and onsite for honorees at 1010 Events Center, 1010 N. Collins Street, Arlington, TX 76011.
We are so proud to share our CEO’s accomplishments since the inception of the VWEC as well as her work during 2020 to ensure the needs of women veteran entrepreneurs were kept front and center as we work to recover, stablized and rebuild our economy, so our small businesses can truly thrive!
If you didn’t know, VR was one of six women that travel to the Capitol in Austin to testified for the original House Bill to make June 12, Women Veterans Day in Texas. This year, she led the launched of the first annual statewide Women Veterans Day Pitch Competition highlighting the innovations and economic impact of current/potential women veteran entrepreneurs. VR also participated in the “I Am Not Invisible” Campaign, a remarkable exhibit featuring 30 portraits of Texas women veterans proclaiming that all must recognize they are not invisible, but an crusial element of our military history’s past, present and future.
VR serves on the Advisory Committee for TWU’s Center for Women Entrepreneurs and is a fellow of SMU’s Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity—Inclusive Economy, Dallas Public Voices, the Bush Institute Stand-to-Veteran Leadership Program and is featured in Dallas Innovates 2020: The Future 50 North Texans. SBA’s DFW District 2020 Veteran Small Business Advocate of the Year, VR also serves on the 30th Congressional District Veteran Advisory Committee.
In alignment with the VWEC’s mission, VR just completed phase one of the Moments That Matter Research Project exclusively focused on women veteran owned businesses in the DFW metroplex in collaboration with the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank and has launched Moments that Matter phase two with SMU’s Hunt Institute, Global Development Lab to conduct a series of women veteran entrepreneur’s national focus groups.
Most importantly, VR is a Navy Veteran, proud stepdaughter, and sister to U.S. Army Retired Vietnam & Iraq Veterans, respectively. Living her personal slogan “Changing the way we see the world and do business,” VR is a motivational speakers, moderator, educator and dedicated advocate specifically for women veteran as well as women and small businesses in general—driving social and economic change across our nation.
In the midst of a pandemic, she fell by example pivoting the services offer by the VWEC to a virtual platform to keep them informed and connected with the series “Monday Morning Message: COVID 19 Weekly Update” and “Trending Thursday Tips” and continued our Women Warriors Winning the Business Battle all upload to our VWEC YouTube platform for your editification.
She advocated for dedicated resources for women veteran entrepreneurs, launchng the Next Level Business Transformation Summer Master Class Series, providing fellows with a $5000 grants and 25 hours of critical technical assistance to not only survive COVID 19, but to literally transform their business to the next level and thrive. Learn more about these fellows and their business journey in their #GIVINGTUESDAY Newsletter.
VR turned a $20k grant American First National Bank to offer 4 mini micro loans of $5k each to women veterans entrepreneurs. Through a progressive partner with PeopleFund adding an additional $80k to create the VWEC Business Growth & Access to Capital Loan Fund, now more than double the number of loans available exclusively to women veteran entrepreneurs and female military spouses from $2500 to $10,000 at a fixed rate of 3% for a maximum of 12 months.
Committed to meeting the growing needs of women veteran entrepreneurs, the VWEC has new programs planned for 2021 that include:
• Next Level Business Transformation (NLBT): Fast Track to Contracts
• Technology Tactics: Using Technology to Grow Your Business
• Financial First: Building Business Credit
JOIN OUR FOUNDER/CEO EFFORTS AS A VOLUNTEER, PARTNER OR SPONSORS , WHETHER OFFICIALLY HOLDING THE TITLE OR NOT, VR IS COMMITTED TO ALWAYS CHAMPIONING THE NEEDS OF WOMEN VETERAN ENTREPRENEURS!
join our effort with a generous donation today at https://bit.ly/DONATENOWTOTHEVWEC
Dallas’ Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center is a COVID-19 success story
The southern Dallas nonprofit finally has the connectivity it needs to launch additional programming for female veteran entrepreneurs.
By Allison Hatfield - Aug 10, 2020 - FWD-DFW The Dallas Morning News
Fierce Female Update: How VR Small Grew Her Women Veterans Nonprofit During A Pandemic
Fierce Female Update: How VR Small Grew Her Women Veterans Nonprofit During A Pandemic
Advancing Equity for Women and Girls
Dallas neighbor VR Small has experienced unprecedented growth at her nonprofit helping female veterans succeed in business.By Lakewood-East Dallas Advocate, News Partner By Jaime Dunaway - Jul 31, 2020 4:02 pm CTMany businesses have had to scale back operations or close amid the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But over the past few months, East Dallas neighbor VR Small has experienced unprecedented growth at her nonprofit helping female veterans succeed in business.
The Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center received funding from North Texas Cares, Texas Capital and BBVA to provide grants and technical support to female veteran entrepreneurs. The center helped nearly 500 women in the second quarter and plans to launch more coronavirus-specific programs this summer.
New internet service provided by a grant from the Boone Family Foundation.
Advancing Equity for Women and Girls
Dallas neighbor VR Small has experienced unprecedented growth at her nonprofit helping female veterans succeed in business.
By Lakewood-East Dallas Advocate, News Partner By Jaime Dunaway - Jul 31, 2020 4:02 pm CT
Many businesses have had to scale back operations or close amid the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But over the past few months, East Dallas neighbor VR Small has experienced unprecedented growth at her nonprofit helping female veterans succeed in business.
The Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center received funding from North Texas Cares, Texas Capital and BBVA to provide grants and technical support to female veteran entrepreneurs. The center helped nearly 500 women in the second quarter and plans to launch more coronavirus-specific programs this summer.
New internet service provided by a grant from the Boone Family Foundation. Read more
Moments That Matter: Understanding the experiences of women-veteran-business owners in Dallas–Fort Worth
Authors:
Anna Crockett, Community Development analyst, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and
VR Small, CEO, Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the women-veteran-business owners who shared their experiences through the Moments That Matter Research Project survey and interviews. This work would not be possible without their participation and candidness.
Lastly, thank you to Magda Salazar for her valuable contribution to this report.
Fierce Female update: How VR Small grew her women veterans nonprofit during a pandemic
The Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center received funding from North Texas Cares, Texas Capital and BBVA to provide grants and technical support to female veteran entrepreneurs. The center helped nearly 500 women in the second quarter and plans to launch more coronavirus-specific programs this summer.
By Jaime Dunaway | July 30th, 2020
Black Nonprofit Leadership in Dallas
Long before there were social entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives, there have been people serving the community. But today, in 2020, the nonprofit sector has an opportunity to look, listen, and shift the systems that have created racial inequity across the resources, funding, and capacity that makes serving the community possible in our current environment. Dallas Doing Good asked black leaders in nonprofit and social good to share how you can best support them and the causes they champion.
COMPILED BY DALLAS DOING GOOD EDITORIAL TEAM.
Long before there were social entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives, there have been people serving the community. But today, in 2020, the nonprofit sector has an opportunity to look, listen, and shift the systems that have created racial inequity across the resources, funding, and capacity that makes serving the community possible in our current environment. Dallas Doing Good asked black leaders in nonprofit and social good to share how you can best support them and the causes they champion.
COMPILED BY DALLAS DOING GOOD EDITORIAL TEAM.
Black Nonprofit Leadership in Dallas
Long before there were social entrepreneurs and nonprofit executives, there have been people serving the community. But today, in 2020, the nonprofit sector has an opportunity to look, listen, and shift the systems that have created racial inequity across the resources, funding, and capacity that makes serving the community possible in our current environment. Dallas Doing Good asked black leaders in nonprofit and social good to share how you can best support them and the causes they champion.
COMPILED BY DALLAS DOING GOOD EDITORIAL TEAM.
Dallas Innovates 2020: Let’s Raise Our Flag
Dallas Innovates begins the new decade with a toast to its newest magazine, Dallas Innovates 2020. This year, the cover of their third annual print publication declares “The Future is Here.” It’s a moment for innovation in Dallas-Fort Worth, one that they’ve been working toward for a long time. In the pages, they explore the people and companies you need to know in Dallas-Fort Worth. You’ll find The Future 50—disruptors and game-changers who are making a difference in their respective fields.
