Officers & Board
Byron Hicks
Chair, North Carolina SBTDC Executive State Director/Assistant Vice Chancellor
Byron Hicks is the State Director of the North Carolina Small Business & Technology Development Center. He joined the program in 2011 as a General Business Counselor, continuing as Regional Center Director and then Deputy State Director prior to becoming State Director in January 2021. He is the chair of the UNC System’s Economic Transformation Council and is on the Board of the NCWorks Commission.
Byron has over 30 years of experience in business including with major regional banks, management of a family business, and purchasing and managing a multimillion dollar grading and utility contractor. In addition to a degree in business
administration with a minor in economics, he holds several certifications and awards including Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP), General Contractor’s license, 2015 NC SBTDC State Star and 2019 SBA Collaborative & Partnership Award.
Contact Information:
North Carolina State University, 5 W. Hargett St., Suite 600, Raleigh, NC 27601;
Phone: 919-600-5920;
Fax: 919-715-7777;
Email: bhicks@sbtbdc.org;
Website: www.sbtdc.org
Danny Fitzgerald
Vice-Chair, Regional Director of San Diego & Imperial
Danny Fitzgerald works for Southwestern Community College as the Regional/State Director for the San Diego & Imperial SBDC Network. He also oversees the San Diego, Orange, and Imperial Apex Accelerator, the San Diego & Imperial Women’s Business Center, and is the fiscal agent for the California Women’s Business Center Network. Prior to becoming Regional Director of the San Diego & Imperial SBDC in 2020, Danny was the Associate Regional Director and a Business Advisor. For over 20 years, he has been a prominent fixture in the small business communities of San Diego and Imperial counties. His service in a wide variety of leadership and executive roles has made a significant impact on thousands of businesses and multiple industries throughout the State of California.
Contact Information
880 National City Boulevard National City, CA 91950;
Phone: 619-216-6718;
Fax: 619-216-6692;
Email: dfitzgerald@swccd.edu;
Website: www.sdivsbdc.org
Sonya Smith
Treasurer, State Director of New York
Sonya Smith serves as the State Director of the New York Small Business Development Centers (NY SBDC) hosted by SUNY. Smith is known for bringing together public/private partnerships and creating innovative programs to assist small businesses served by SBDC. She has risen in the ranks through SBDC and is the first woman and first African American appointed to lead New York’s vast SBDC network in its nearly 40-year history. As state director, she is responsible for establishing an SBDC Network for NYS and for overall program development, service coordination, financial management, reporting, promotion and public relations, evaluation, assessment, and internal quality control over Network services.
Smith serves on multiple boards and community Committees within her current state of New York. In addition to serving as co-chair of the ASBDC legislative committee and chair of the Millennial & Youth entrepreneurship interest group.
Smith previously served as the Pennsylvania SBDC’s associate state director of programs and policy. Smith comes to SUNY from the Pennsylvania SBDC, where she most recently served as associate state director of programs, managing the design and implementation of services provided by 16 regional centers and more than 120 staff to support Pennsylvania entrepreneurs and small businesses.
Prior to this, Smith served as the assistant director of Grants and Sponsored Projects at Kutztown University, and before that, rose through the ranks of Pennsylvania’s SBDC, holding the positions of assistant director, budget analyst, and associate business consultant at the Kutztown University SBDC. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Kutztown University, and a bachelor’s in accounting from Albright College.
Contact Information:
SUNY System Administration S515, H. Carl McCall SUNY Building, 353 Broadway. Albany, NY 12246; View Map;
Phone: 518-944-2840;
Fax: 518-320-1593;
Email: Sonya.Smith@nysbdc.org
Website: www.nysbdc.org
Elizabeth Gray
Secretary, New Hampshire State Director
Liz Gray assumed the role of State Director at the New Hampshire Small Business Development Center (NH SBDC) in July 2018. NH SBDC is a vital resource for small businesses across New Hampshire, delivering personalized and confidential advising services to over 3,000 businesses in approximately 200 communities annually. Since its inception in 1984, NH SBDC has played a pivotal role in advising and training over 110,000 entrepreneurs in the state, leading to the establishment of more than 2,250 businesses. Liz oversees a dedicated team of 18 professionals who collaborate with government agencies, business partners, and clients to support New Hampshire’s business community. NH SBDC is an outreach program of the University of New Hampshire’s Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics, aligning with the university’s mission to bolster the state’s economic landscape.
Before her tenure at NH SBDC, Liz Gray served as the director of entrepreneurship at the N.H. Business Finance Authority, where she initiated the Live Free and Start program, aiming to create a more conducive environment for innovative companies to thrive in New Hampshire. She has held key roles in economic development, working as the business services manager at the N.H. Department of Resources and Economic Development. Her extensive experience in New Hampshire’s political sphere includes over a decade of service in various capacities within the offices of governors Shaheen, Lynch, and Hassan, as well as serving as a legislative aide in the N.H. State Senate. Liz actively contributes to her community by serving on the UNH Manchester Advisory Board, the boards of directors of the UNH Alumni Association, and the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Furthermore, she plays a significant role in the America’s SBDC (ASBDC) Legislative and Leadership Committees and co-chairs the UNH Peter T. Paul College’s Business in Practice Advisory Board. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Conservation and International Affairs from the University of New Hampshire.
Contact Information:
UNH Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics 10 Garrison Avenue, Suite Suite 201, Room #265. Durham, NH 03824.
Email: liz.gray@unh.edu
Phone: 603-862-2200
Steve Lawrence
Texas Gulf Coast Network SBDC
Executive Director/Associate Dean
Steve is a U.S. Navy veteran and has over 40 years of business experience successfully creating, restructuring, leading and managing and improving wonderful client-focused organizations around the world. While having a strong corporate background, his history with small businesses also goes back a long way. Steve’s father started and owned a successful small business in Springfield, Illinois, where Steve worked every day that he was not in school, from the time he was 13 until he graduated with his Bachelor’s degree. Steve’s first full-time job after receiving his undergraduate degree in business administration was as a young business consultant, advising small businesses and preparing their SBA loan packages. And most recently, he led the Texas Gulf Coast SBDC and Houston small businesses through last year’s devastation from Hurricane Harvey, witnessing the communities that the SBDC serves and the great SBDC organization come together and help each other through the recovery.
Steve’s broad business experience is particularly useful for a board member, as he has worked in the non-profit, government, corporate and entrepreneurial segments. He has held executive level positions as Division President/CEO, Senior VP, COO, Group Vice-President and Area Vice-President, for Pepsi Cola in Spain, Mexico, Western Europe, South America, Canada and the US. He also served as President and General Manager of Dell Computers in Brazil prior to founding and operating a successful wine importing business for 10 years. He has worked in university and government organizations, worked as Executive Director for a non-profit organization in the public health sector, and served on the board of directors of a NYSE listed company. Steve holds a DrPH degree in Community Health Practice from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, Texas; an MBA in Finance from the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado; an MPH degree in Community Health Practice from the University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, Texas; and a BS in Business Administration from the Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.
Contact Information:
Texas Gulf Coast Network. 1455 West Loop South, Houston, TX 77027.
Phone: 713-752-8425
email: slawrence@uh.edu
Website: www.sbdcnetwork.uh.
Michele Hockersmith, PhD
Oklahoma State Director
Michele Hockersmith has held the position of State Director for the Oklahoma Small Business Development Center network since 2018, after serving as Assistant State Director for the Oklahoma SBDC. During her tenure as Assistant State Director, she fostered numerous partnerships and collaborations across the state to support the growth of Oklahoma’s economy through small businesses. Michele’s prior experience includes five years in the Office of the President at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where she played a key role in strategic partnerships, policy research, and university outreach programs. With 36 years of experience in education, Michele also served as a counselor and later as Director in the U.S. Department of Education TRIO grant programs, focusing on underserved populations.
Michele is a highly engaged leader, having graduated from Leadership Oklahoma and actively participating in various roles within the organization, including serving on the Executive Board, Board of Directors, and numerous committees. She has also contributed significantly to the Oklahoma Academy and has received multiple accolades for her impactful work, including Journal Record’s Woman of the Year nominations, recognition as one of Oklahoma’s Women Making a Difference, and the Leadership Oklahoma Distinguished Leadership Award in 2017. Michele’s commitment extends to the national level, where she is part of the Leadership Development Committee for America’s SBDC and was elected to serve on the National America’s SBDC Board in 2023. Her diverse involvement includes roles on boards, civic organizations, and her dedication to education and community service. Michele holds degrees in sociology and counseling psychology from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, along with a Ph.D. in history from Swansea University in Wales, where she completed her dissertation on the modern history of the economic prosperity of the Chickasaw Nation and the benefits of social capital in 2023.
Contact information:
Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 301 West University. Durant, OK 74701.
Email: mcampbell@se.edu
Phone: 580.745.3326
Website: http://www.oksbdc.org/
Marnie Schuschke
Associate State Director of North Dakota
Marnie Schuschke has been a key member of the North Dakota Small Business Development Center (ND SBDC) since 2018, rising from a support role to Assistant State Director, Operations in July 2020, and on to Associate State Director in July 2021. Her career before ND SBDC spanned nearly two decades in various roles within small, family-owned businesses, including advertising, property management, and finance.
At ND SBDC, Marnie has significantly enhanced the network’s communications, social media presence, and community relationships, while leading initiatives to improve client satisfaction and efficiency. She has also served as co-chair of the Chamber of Commerce Small Business Committee and contributed to projects with the University of North Dakota, the network host in that state.
Already active in America’s SBDC, Marnie is involved with the Marketing and Finance Interest Section groups and is working on a networking project for a group for business advisors from smaller states. She holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Bemidji State University and a Certificate of Excellence in Leadership from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.
Contact Information:
Nistler Hall Room 322B; 3125 University Ave, Stop 7308 Grand Forks, ND 58202-7308;
Phone 701-777-6825
Email: marnie.schuschke@UND.edu
Website: https://campus.und.edu/directory/marnie.schuschke
Kristin Johnson
Region Director for the Northern California SBDC
Since 2006, Kristin Johnson has served as the Region Director for the Northern California SBDC, a role she has held for 19 years. She wrote the proposal for the Norcal SBDC at Cal Poly Humboldt in 2005 and has been at the helm ever since. In January 2018, her leadership expanded to include the Sacramento and Northeastern California regions, which were then merged with Norcal SBDC. Today, the Norcal SBDC encompasses 16 Centers and a large technology program, along with a PTAC, a VBOC, and other specialty programs. Johnson oversees a workforce of more than 363 employees and contractors.
Johnson was a founding member of the California SBDC Leadership Council and has twice served as its statewide Chair. In this role, she collaborated with fellow Region Directors on legislative efforts to secure state funding. These efforts resulted in securing $6 million in funding in 2010/11 and establishing the $3 million Capital Infusion Program, which is renewed annually by the Governor’s Office and has provided over $27 million to California SBDCs. In 2018, she was part of the team that secured full 1:1 match funding from the state, creating a $20 million per year fund called the Technical Assistance Expansion Program.
Johnson is a former member of the ASBDC Board of Directors. She led the New State Director Training at the America’s SBDC Conference for seven years and continues to contribute to the Orientation to Managing an SBDC Network. She is also a member of both the Leadership Committee and the Accreditation Committee.
At the state level, Johnson has served on the boards of the California Association of Micro-Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), the State’s Outsmart Disaster Initiative, and the California Association of Local Economic Developers (CALED). She also served two terms as a State Appointee for State Speaker Perez on the board of SAFE-BIDCO, a state lending organization. Locally, she has served as Chair and a Board Member for the Humboldt State School of Business Advisory Council and as a Board Member for the President’s Business Advisory Council. Before becoming Region Director at Cal Poly Humboldt, Johnson was the SBDC Center Director for Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. She first joined the SBDC in 2000.
Contact information:
Phone: 707-826-3920
Email: Kristin.Johnson@humboldt.edu
Website: www.norcalsbdc.org
Sharon Nichols
State Director of the Mississippi SBDCN
As the State Director of the Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network (MSBDCN) since 2018, Sharon has been instrumental in its transformation into the state’s primary resource for small business guidance and economic growth. She has strategically expanded the program’s portfolio from an annual core SBDC grant of $1.154 million to a combined $7 million in multi-year federal, state, and special project funding. This significant growth led to the rebranding of the organization from MSBDC to the MSBDC Network, which now oversees multiple programs, including SSBCI TA and SSBCI SBOP.
She founded and scaled the RISE Center, which helps small businesses with innovation, technology commercialization, and government contracting. Concurrently, she launched statewide digital capacity initiatives and enhanced access-to-capital pipelines. These efforts have yielded over $121 million in capital formation and $97 million in contracts since 2023, with a delivery network that extends to all 82 Mississippi counties.
Sharon Nichols has a career in economic development, small business advising, and performance management that spans over two decades. Her experience includes serving as the Assistant State Director for Program Performance at the Oklahoma SBDC, a program of similar size and funding. She has also contributed to national policy and quality standards as a member of the ASBDC Legislative Committee and an Accreditation Committee member.
In addition to her SBDC leadership, she has served on various boards, including literacy councils, the State SHRM Board, and as a SHRM Regional President. She has also been a member of multi-county education advisory boards, regional advisory bank boards, and the boards of the Mississippi Business Finance Corporation and the Mississippi Development Bank. A veteran of the Air National Guard, she holds certifications as a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and an Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) and is trained as a Malcolm Baldrige Examiner.
Contact information:
Phone: 662-589-0304
Email: sharonn@olemiss.edu
Website: https://www.mississippisbdc.org/
J.D. Collins
Michigan State Director
J.D. Collins has the privilege of serving as the leader of the Michigan SBDC, and by extension, serving its clients, communities, partners, and employees.
The majority of his career involved developing strategies to solve problems for large organizations before he discovered his passion for entrepreneurship. This passion led him to start his own businesses—some of which succeeded, while many failed. Through these experiences, he learned that starting and operating a business is not a job, but a passion. Later in his career, he found great joy in guiding others on their professional and entrepreneurial journeys, which naturally led him to the Michigan SBDC. He has been the State Director for six years, during which he has implemented initiatives that have supported a 24% surge in client growth and identified new funding sources that now constitute 30% of the Michigan SBDC’s operating budget.
His team would describe him as eternally optimistic, skilled at rallying support for new ideas, and a willing mentor.
For Collins, the Michigan SBDC satisfies his altruistic desire to serve the small business community. A board role would provide him with an opportunity to continue learning and contributing to the ASBDC network.
Contact information:
Phone: 616-540-2046
Email: colljaso@gvsu.edu
Website: https://michigansbdc.org/
Charles "Tee" Rowe
America's SBDC President/CEO
C. E. “Tee” Rowe is the President and CEO of America’s SBDC. He joined the Association in August of 2009. A graduate of Dartmouth College (AB, Russian Language/Literature, 1983) and the Tulane University School of Law (JD, 1989), Mr. Rowe has a long history of legislative and advocacy experience on behalf of the small business community. Prior to joining America’s SBDC. he served as Associate Administrator for Congressional and Legislative Affairs for the US Small Business Administration from 2005 to 2009. Before that, he served as Assistant Administrator for Congressional Affairs and was the Assistant General Counsel for Legislation and Regulation at SBA from 2001 to 2005.
Tee also worked for ten years (1991-2001) in the US Congress as the Counsel to the Committee on Small Business in the US House of Representatives. In that role, he was responsible for drafting most of the major small business legislation passed by the US Congress. He resides in Great Falls, VA with his wife Laurie and his daughter, Alex.
Contact Information:
8990 Burke Lake Road, 2nd Floor, Burke, VA 22015;
Phone: 703-764-9850;
Fax: 703-764-1234;
email: tee.rowe@americassbdc.org;
Website: www.americassbdc.org