Lisa Shimkat, State Director, America’s SBDC Iowa

AMES, Iowa – America’s SBDC Iowa is pleased to announce that Lisa Shimkat, State Director of America’s SBDC Iowa, has been re-elected to serve on America’s SBDC National Board of Directors.  She has been serving on the board since September 2017, and is the board liaison for the Research and Data Committee. This committee is responsible for setting direction and improving efficiency in the areas of impact and creating processes for greater effectiveness to support small business across the country and in Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands.

Lisa has been the State Director of America’s SBDC Iowa since 2014. She oversees the organization’s 15 centers across the state that provide business counseling for entrepreneurs in all areas of starting, operating and expanding a business. Lisa has an MBA from Iowa State University, is a Certified Business Advisor (CBA®) from University of Toledo, and has also obtained Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) certification through the National Development Council.  She served on the Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies through 2017. She currently is a member on the Fort Dodge School Board and has served on numerous boards and commissions.

America’s SBDC (ASBDC) represents America’s nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) – the most comprehensive small business assistance network in the United States and its territories.  The association represents the interests of our members and their SBDCs, by promoting, informing, supporting and continuously improving America’s nationwide network of SBDCs.

The mission of America’s nationwide network of SBDCs is to help new entrepreneurs realize the dream of business ownership, and to assist existing businesses to remain competitive in the complex marketplace of an ever-changing global economy.

Hosted by leading universities, colleges and state economic development agencies, and funded in part by the United States Congress through a partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the ASBDC has nearly 1,000 service centers that are available to provide no-cost business consulting and low-cost training.

America’s SBDC Iowa is an outreach program of Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business and the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, America’s SBDC Iowa has 15 regional assistance centers located strategically across the state. Since program inception in 1981, the SBDC has helped Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs through no fee, confidential, customized, professional business counseling and practical, affordable training workshops.

For more information on America’s SBDC Iowa programs or services, call (515) 294-2030 or visit www.iowasbdc.org.

Contact:
Stacy Dreyer, America’s SBDC Iowa, 515-294-5595, sdreyer@iastate.edu
Lisa Shimkat, America’s SBDC Iowa, 515-294-2030, lshimkat@iastate.edu