Biographies

BILL FLANAGAN

Bill Flanagan is Executive Vice President—Corporate Relations for the Allegheny Conference on Community Development and its affiliated regional development organizations: The Pennsylvania Economy League of Southwestern Pennsylvania LLC, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.

Bill supervises Investor Relations activities for the Conference and Affiliates, including fundraising, membership services and educational programming. He oversees organizational communications. In this role, Bill also hosts “Our Region’s Business” on WPXI-TV, WJAC-TV, WTOV-TV and the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel (PCNC), a program the Conference produces in partnership with Cox Television.

As Executive Director of Pittsburgh 250, the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the naming of Pittsburgh in 2008, Bill supervised a multi-year, 14-county initiative that included signature projects and events, along with grassroots initiatives planned by a 200 member commission and involving more than 300 partners and supporters.

Prior to joining the Conference in September 2001, Bill had covered the economy of southwestern Pennsylvania almost 20-years, much of it as Money Editor of KDKA-TV, where he was Pittsburgh’s only broadcast reporter devoted exclusively to business and personal finance, and where he hosted “The Sunday Business Page.” Bill came to the region in 1982 as a general assignment reporter for the television station. He has written about personal finance for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and KDKA-AM.

A graduate of Northwestern University (B.S. Speech), Bill has a Master’s Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is a native of Dover, Delaware.

Bill and his wife, Ann Devlin Flanagan, have two children, Mara and Will.

Wendy Lopez

National Chair National Association of Women Business Owners

Wendy Lopez is Vice President, URS Corporation, and is tasked with increasing URS’ infrastructure business in the high-growth Texas market.
Ms. Lopez was most recently co-founder and CEO of LopezGarcia Group. Under her leadership, the firm expanded its practice into multiple areas of engineering, environmental services and planning, expanding from a one-person office to over 200 employees upon its purchase by URS in August 2008.
Ms. Lopez received her Master of Science in Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is chair of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and a past president of the NAWBO Dallas-Fort Worth chapter. Ms. Lopez chaired for two years the Dallas Regional Chamber’s Women’s Business Issues Advisory Council.
Ms. Lopez's recent recognitions include an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Southwest Area, Real Estate/Construction, 2007; a Girl’s Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas “She Knows Where She’s Going” Award, 2007; and the Dallas Regional Chamber ATHENA® Award, 2006. Ms. Lopez is a member of the Dallas County Hospital District, Board of Managers, 2007-2009; the North Texas Commission, Chair-elect 2007-2009; the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) National, Secretary-Treasurer, 2006-2008; and the DOWNTOWNDALLAS, Board of Directors, 2006-2007.

Ana Recio Harvey

Assistant Administrator for Women’s Business Ownership

As the U.S. Small Business Administration’s assistant administrator for women’s business ownership, Ana Recio Harvey is the director of the SBA’s Office of Women’s Business Ownership. She oversees the agency’s efforts to promote the growth of women-owned businesses through programs that provide business training and counseling, access to credit and capital, and multiple business and networking opportunities.

Harvey manages a nationwide network of women's business centers that provide training and counseling to hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs in nearly every state and two U.S. territories. Her office also works with representatives in every SBA district office to oversee operations of the women’s business centers and to coordinate services for women entrepreneurs.

After working as a translation consultant from 1991 to 2000, Harvey established Syntaxis, LLC, a highly successful SBA 8(a)-certified multilingual communications company with clients from Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Harvey successfully grew her company from a single English-to-Spanish translation agency into a full-service multilingual communications firm with 75 employees handling communications and translations in 25 languages.

While still managing her company, Harvey served for two years as Latino programs director with Latino Programs Director for Cultural Tourism DC, where she developed relationships with community-based organizations and Latino audiences in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area. She developed and implemented tourism promotions and activities that highlighted Latino-based cultural tourism sites and programs in Washington’s historic neighborhoods.

In 2007, Harvey was named president and CEO of the Greater Washington Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a post she held until President Obama appointed her to lead the Office of Women’s Business Ownership. At the Chamber, she set the direction and provided the leadership that helped the organization fulfill its philosophy, mission and strategy, and enabled it to achieve its annual financial goals and community objectives.

Harvey holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston.

Jayne H. Huston

Director

Seton Hill University's E-Magnify

As Director of Seton Hill University's E-Magnify women’s business center where she has been employed for 15 years, Jayne H. Huston is responsible for the strategic vision and administrative oversight of E-Magnify including directing all programs and initiatives to promote women and business ownership in a 27-county western Pennsylvania market.

E-Magnify, one of four designated women’s business center programs in Pennsylvania under the United States Small Business Administration, Office of Women’s Business Ownership, offers current and future women business owners a portfolio of programs and services in business counseling, education and training; and mentoring. Mentoring programs include two nationally-acclaimed initiatives: ATHENAPowerLink and Women Presidents’ Organization.

Huston currently serves on Pittsburgh Magazine’s “Spotlight on Women in Business” Advisory Panel and the Status of Women in Westmoreland County Project Team. She has been recognized among the “Top 100 People” and “Entrepreneur of the Year” (Non Profit) by Pennsylvania Business Central; as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Advocate of the Year, Region III; and a Pittsburgh Pacesetter by Smart Business. Additionally, she has served as a judge for numerous competitions including the “50 Best Women in Business,” and U.S. Small Business Administration, Pittsburgh District’s Small Business Awards.

Huston earned an MBA from Seton Hill University and a B.A. in Journalism and Communications from Point Park University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Rebecca Harris

Director, Center for Women's Entrepreneurship, Chatham University

Biographical Sketch: Rebecca Uchitelle Harris, MBA, Director, Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship, Chatham University, Woodland Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15232

Tel: 412-365-1301; email: rharris@chatham.edu

PROFESSIONAL PREPARATION

Northwestern University; Bachelor of Science in Speech 1981; Major: Communication Studies

Temple University-The Fox School of Business; MBA 1987; Concentration: Marketing

APPOINTMENTS

April 2009 to present

Director, Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship, Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA

The Director is responsible for overseeing, expanding and enhancing the operations of the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship at Chatham University. Responsibilities include developing new programming, establishing collaborative relationships between women entrepreneurs and students, integrating the Center activities into academic programs, securing sponsorships, and conducting primary research related to female entrepreneurship.

COLLABORATIONS & OTHER AFFILIATIONS

Member of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)

Member of the Association of Women Business Centers

Member of the American Association of University Women

Member of the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers

Member of the National Association of Female Executives

Member of the National Association of Professional and Executive Women

Member of the National Association of Downtown Women’s Club

Member of Pittsburgh Professional Women

Member of the YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh

Member of TiE Pittsburgh (The Indus Entrepreneur)

Heshie Segal

Jetnetting

JetNetting is an innovative and highly specific system to:

Prepare for networking resulting in the eradication of cold calling,
Establish immediacy and timing, with contacts
Use intentional application of kindness, helpfulness and goodwill with no ulterior motive
So that your life will be joyous and your business grow by leaps and bounds.

The JetNetting system is currently being used

To instill a fresh and unprecedented level of establishing diverse connections,
To cement, long-term relationships for business, social, and non-profit purposes.
To learn to leave a networking event with business in hand.
So that you become a true "Jetnetter"

Heshie Segal President The JetNetting Connection

Heshie Segal is a professional speaker, trainer, consultant and executive coach. She helps top executives, managers and individuals build their business through relationships. Corporations, colleges, universities and individuals alike seek out her powerful presentations. Her warmth, energy, and expertise lead to substantive change regardless of the venue. Heshie Segal teaches her clients how to turn a business card, a presentation, and even a chance meeting into lasting business. For over 14 years Heshie has dedicated herself to understanding and sharing the secrets of human connections. www.jetnettingconnection.com