NEW YORK – The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Interagency Task Force on Veterans Small Business Development and Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs will hold public meetings on March 4 and 5 respectively at SBA headquarters in Washington, D.C. For those interested members of the public who are unable to attend, the meetings will also be accessible via teleconference and webinar.

Both committee meetings will address the current state of veteran-owned small businesses and update the public on progress made toward advancing veteran entrepreneurship and employment.

“The U.S. Small Business Administration and its New York District Office provide targeted counseling, training and mentoring to help veterans start, grow and expand their small businesses. This public meeting is your voice to help refine the role of how the SBA can better serve those who have served us,” said SBA New York District Director Beth Goldberg, the head of the nation’s largest SBA field office serving New York City, Long Island and the Lower Hudson Valley.

The public meeting will be the first for Fran Perez-Wilhite, the newly appointed ACVBA chairwoman. She was elected by fellow committee members to lead the ACVBA in its mission to support veteran business affairs across the nation and provide advice and policy recommendations to the SBA Administrator. A former U.S. Army officer, Perez-Wilhite is a business developer with the North Carolina Military Business Center.

“We’re looking forward to working with Fran to bring a new perspective and leadership to our discussion,” said SBA Associate Administrator for the Office of Veterans Business Development Larry Stubblefield. “The efforts of both committees continue to positively influence SBA’s veteran programs and related policy decisions. I look forward to working with Fran, the ACVBA, and IATF members during these quarterly meetings.”

The IATF will meet on March 4 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (EST)

Dial-in 202-765-1264

Conference ID: 331933369#

The ACVBA will meet on March 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (EST)

Dial-in 202-765-1264

Conference ID: 137290192#

The meetings will be held at SBA Headquarters, 409 3rd Street SW, Washington D.C., 20416. The main entrance is under construction, so use the D Street entrance and proceed to the security desk.

The IATF meeting will include updates from SBA’s Office of Veterans Business Development and Office of General Counsel as well as committee member updates from the Departments of Defense, Labor, Treasury and Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, Office of Management and Budget, North Carolina Military Business Center, and Student Veterans of America.

The ACVBA meeting will also include remarks from the newly appointed chairwoman and updates from SBA’s Office of General Counsel, the SBA 8(a) Business Development program, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Transcripts will be available after both meetings at www.sba.gov/ovbd, under the “Federal Advisory Committees” section of the webpage.

“New York State is home to nearly 1 million military veterans and the SBA is listening to our heroes. Together, the Trump Administration is working with vetrepreneurs to ensure our growing economy continues to expand. We’re accomplishing this through the SBA’s training, funding programs and federal contracting opportunities geared towards serving the veterans’ community,” said SBA Atlantic Regional Administrator Steve Bulger who oversees agency operations in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Advance notice of attendance is sought for building security purposes. Those interested in providing comment, questions or seeking special accommodations for the meetings can do so by emailing veteransbusiness@sba.gov or calling (202) 205-6773 by close of business on February 28, 2020.