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Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council

Karen Kerrigan
Chair, Small Business Roundtable
President & CEO
Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council)

Karen Kerrigan is leading SBE Council into its 25th year of protecting small business and promoting entrepreneurship.For nearly twenty-five years Karen Kerrigan’s leadership, advocacy and training work has helped foster U.S. entrepreneurship and global small business growth. She is president & CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, and is the group’s chief advocate for its members.


Kerrigan regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress on the key issues impacting entrepreneurs and the economy, and has been appointed to numerous federal advisory boards including the National Women’s Business Council, the U.S.-Iraq Business Dialog, the U.S. Treasury’s Taxpayer Advisory Panel, and the National Advisory Committee for Labor Provisions of U.S. Free Trade Agreements. Kerrigan regularly engages with the President’s cabinet and key advisors, and has spoken or led roundtables at several White House economic summits, scores of events hosted by the Small Business Administration, U.S. Treasury Department and other federal government agencies and departments. 


Kerrigan is a collaborative and well-respected individual within the advocacy and business community who has led numerous coalitions and initiatives with diverse partners and organizations. She has written hundreds of Op-Eds and newspaper columns, and regularly appears on national television and talk radio programs.

National Association for the Self-Employed

Keith Hall
President and CEO
National Association for the 
Self-Employed (NASE)
Keith Hall is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for the Self-Employed. He has previously served as the National Tax Advisor for the NASE where he offered personalized tax advice and answers on just about every topic ranging from: incorporation to automobile expenses to the home-office deduction to travel expenses for the self-employed and micro-business owners. Hall was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1981 with a degree in Accounting.

He began his career with the international accounting firm of KPMG, working with clients in banking, insurance and other financial services. Hall has served as the Chief Financial Officer for a medium-sized bank and a long-term care provider. He is a certified public accountant and has provided consulting and tax services to small businesses for over twenty years. 

Hall’s small-business advice and tax preparation expertise has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Good Housekeeping, and on hundreds of radio programs across the country.

National Small Business Association

Todd McCracken
President & CEO
National Small Business Association (NSBA)
Todd McCracken currently serves as president of National Small Business Association (NSBA), directing all activities of the advocacy-oriented association. Mr. McCracken became president of NSBA in 1997. Mr. McCracken started with the association in 1988, previously serving as vice president of government affairs.

Mr. McCracken represents NSBA before the U.S. Congress and myriad other settings. As director of its government affairs arm, Mr. McCracken plays a key role in developing NSBA’s policies on issues and the strategies in implementing them. Since coming to the association, Mr. McCracken has testified before Congress numerous times about issues ranging from fundamental health care reform to tax code restructuring.

Mr. McCracken also is a frequent commentator in the media, having appeared on CNN, CNBC, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, and NBC Nightly News as well as in the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and myriad other publications.

As a non-partisan organization, NSBA works proactively with elected and administration officials to promote policies that support small business growth and development. NSBA is the nation’s oldest small business organization. It was founded in 1937.

A native of New Mexico, Mr. McCracken is a graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, with a B.A. in Economics.

U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.

Ron Busby
President & CEO
U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. (USBC)
Ron Busby, Sr. brings business management skills as well as a lifetime of community development experience to the organization. Mr. Busby is a former successful business owner himself, and he has been recognized as one of the nation’s best CEOs. Ron grew his first company, USA Superclean, from $150,000 annualized revenue, to over $15 million in only 10 years. Early on in his career, USA Superclean was recognized as the largest Black-owned janitorial firm in the country. Mr. Busby has also started and grown two other janitorial firms, both resulting in over $4 million in annualized revenue.

Currently, Ron serves on the Pfizer Small Business Council, National Newspapers Publishers Association Foundation Board of Directors, and White House African American Leadership Council. He has also formerly served on the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Council on Underserved Communities.

Trained by some of the country’s leading corporate executives, Ron developed his skills at some of the nation’s largest corporations including; Exxon, Xerox, IBM, and Coca-Cola USA. While in corporate America, he was recognized as National Sales Person of the Year.

Ron also has chamber experience as he was previously the President of the Greater Phoenix Black Chamber of Commerce for five years.

A native of Oakland, CA; and graduate with honors from both Florida A&M and Clark Atlanta University, Ron has dedicated himself to the empowerment of the Black community. Ron is also a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. Ron has two sons and currently lives in the Washington, DC area.

National Association of Women Business Owners

Jen Earle
CEO
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
Jen Earle has had the honor and delight of working with the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) since 2008. Utilizing her institutional knowledge and consistent drive to advancing the mission of NAWBO, Jen has worked collaboratively with National Boards of Directors and past CEO’s to help carry out the Board’s vision for the organization and navigate NAWBO to where it is today.

Jen brings to the table more than a decade of multi-disciplinary, high-level experience in operational and project management development, support, and execution for a broad range of boards, business groups, entrepreneurs, CEOs and executives. Jen has successfully established operational infrastructures for her clients. She serves at the executive level, working with nonprofit boards, meeting and event strategy and planning, partner outreach and relationship building.

Jen also has extensive experience as a business owner: Within three years of graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in economics, at the age of 25, she became co-owner of a commercial music production company, Element Music and Sound Design. As co-owner, Jen was responsible for all business and operational requirements to grow the company, including all financial aspects as well as sales and marketing. During her tenure, the business grew exponentially, rivaling the largest commercial music companies in the business and working with entities including BMW, Disney, Nintendo and Sprint. A decade later, to respond to her evolving family needs, Jen redefined career paths. She launched, Savvy Ops, a consulting group to provide virtual operational support to the non-profit business world reconnecting her with her passion.

National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship

Chiling Tong

President & CEO

National Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship (National ACE)

Chiling Tong has extensive domestic and international experience in economic and business development, focusing on enhancing the growth of minority-owned small businesses. Her career spans the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. She is the President and CEO of the National Asian & Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship (National ACE), representing the interests of 2.91 million Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) small business owners and all entrepreneurs across the country. National ACE collaborates with over 130 affiliate AAPI chambers and partner organizations nationwide to advocate for AAPI and all small businesses, enhance capacity building, and foster the next generation of entrepreneurs and executives.


Tong is also the Founding President of the International Leadership Foundation (ILF), a nonprofit organization that has promoted civic awareness and public service among AAPI college students since 2000. She served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the International Trade Administration and later as Chief of Staff for the Minority Business Development Agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce. She was appointed to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders by both President Donald Trump and President George W. Bush. Additionally, she was named to the commission to study the potential creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture.


Tong was an Ash Center Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. Previously, she worked to promote California's economic development, trade, and employment services. She served as Director of California's Office of Trade and Investment in Taipei, Taiwan, and as Assistant Secretary for International Trade in the California Trade and Commerce Agency. She also worked for the California State Senate Minority Leader’s Office as the Chief Asian American Affairs Advisor.


Tong was awarded a Coro Public Affairs Fellowship and served as the Los Angeles County Community Action Board Chairperson. She was also a television anchor and reporter for China TV, a Los Angeles-based international television station. In 2017, she was named Advocate of the Year by the Minority Business Development Agency and recognized at the White House for her significant contributions to small business development. Her husband, Joel Szabat, is currently the Vice Chair of the Amtrak Board of Directors. 

United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Ramiro Cavazos
President & CEO
United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
Ramiro Cavazos is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Previously, he served as the President & CEO of the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce for 10 years. With his expertise in economic development, he has served as the Director of Economic Development for the City of San Antonio, Director of Research and Economic Development for the UT Health Science Center, and as the Global Public Affairs Manager for the Levi Strauss Company and Foundation for the Texas, Mexico, and Latin America region. Ramiro has a Masters of Public Administration from St. Mary’s University and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Government from The University of Texas at Austin. A native of Weslaco in the Rio Grande Valley, he is a 7th generation Texan. Ramiro and his wife Christa are parents of two boys, 12 and 9 years-old.

Disability:IN

Jill Houghton
President & CEO
Disability:IN
Jill Houghton is the President and CEO of Disability:IN. Jill’s goal is to empower companies to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Through her leadership, Disability:IN has partnered with over 185 Disability:IN corporations, accounting for a total workforce of over 7.8 million people. Jill has led the development of nationally recognized programs, such as the Disability Equality Index (in partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities), Supplier Diversity program providing disability-owned business certifications recognized by the Billion Dollar Roundtable, and programs supporting NextGen Leaders, like the Mentorship Exchange and Talent Accelerator. It is her hope to build an inclusive global economy where people with disabilities can participate fully and meaningfully.

NextGen Chamber of Commerce

Gil Pontes

Executive Director

NextGen Chamber of Commerce

Gil Pontes serves as Executive Director of the NextGen Chamber of Commerce, leading the mission to reduce barriers to entrepreneurship through policy, promoting diversity in entrepreneurship, and creating an inclusive economy. 


Gil is a champion of next generation leadership, a voice within the LGBTQIA+ community, and passionate about the intersection of politics, policy, and business. He understands the power of connection in order to build coalitions, move policy, and grow organizations.


Prior to joining NextGen, Gil was Managing Director at The Nora Project, a national disability inclusion organization, where he led their revenue operations, board relations, along with strategic marketing and communications insights. He has also served in the development department for one of Rhode Island's largest nonprofits, Thundermist Health Center. He has previously served in leadership positions at Options RI, and as Selectman for the Town of Berkley, Massachusetts, the executive branch of town government, where he championed diverse and inclusive economic measures, and was a staunch ally of the small business community.


Gil received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and resides in Wilton Manors, Florida.

Women Impacting Public Policy

Angela Dingle

Acting President & CEO

Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)

As President and CEO of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), Angela Dingle leads a national nonpartisan organization advocating on behalf of women entrepreneurs, strengthening their impact on our nation’s public policy, creating economic opportunities, and forging alliances with other business organizations. She is an award winning business owner, that brings to bear 25+ years of technology and leadership experience consulting in the public and private sector.



Angela holds a MS in Management Information Systems from Bowie State University, a BS in Computer Science from DeVry University, is Certified in the Governance of Enterprise Information Technology (CGEIT), a Certified Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Practitioner, and a Certified Management Consultant (CMC). Angela is a member of ISACA and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

National LGBT Chamber of Commerce

Justin Nelson

Co-Founder & President

National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)

Justin Nelson is the Co-Founder and President of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community and the largest LGBT economic advocacy and business development organization in the world.

 

In addition to over 45 LGBT affiliate chambers in the United States representing America’s 1.4 million LGBT business owners, NGLCC leads economic development opportunities at over a dozen international affiliates. NGLCC is responsible for major victories for the LGBT business community, among them the first-in-the-nation inclusion of LGBT suppliers in statewide contracting opportunities with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

 

Justin regularly advises senior leaders at the White House, in Congress, and corporations throughout the world to build business opportunities through commitments to LGBT-inclusive supplier diversity programs. He is a sought-after speaker at conferences and meetings around the globe promoting the business case for LGBT inclusion and creating equity for the LGBT business community.