Maryland Women's Business Center Welcomes New Leader

The Maryland Women’s Business Center (MWBC), a program of Rockville Economic Development, Inc. (REDI), announces the addition of Kiesha Haughton Smoots to their team as Managing Director. In this role Ms. Smoots will manage the MWBC, ensuring its success in helping to start and build successful women-owned enterprises that are positioned for long-term growth. She fills a position vacated by former Managing Director Lori Gillen who recently accepted a position with the Small Business Administration.

“I am excited about the opportunity to work for the Maryland Women’s Business Center, and have always had a passion for women entrepreneurship. The work that is currently being done to support scalable growth for women-owned businesses is commendable, and I look forward to building on the outreach, program offerings, resource partners, and service locations,” said Ms. Smoots. “With women-owned businesses accounting for 30% of all privately held firms and contributing to 14% of employment and 11% of revenues, we want to ensure we provide the resources necessary for them to continue playing a key role in Maryland’s economy.”

Formerly the Director for the Central Region of the Maryland Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) Network, Ms. Smoots brings over 12 years of non-profit and entrepreneurship experience in providing economic development solutions to small businesses, NGOs, and government agencies. Under her leadership, the Central Region succeeded in becoming one of the top performing regions in Maryland, which has led to national recognition and a number of awards. Experienced in management consulting, training services, and workforce consulting, Ms. Smoots’ range of experiences spans every aspect of starting, operating, and expanding the companies of small business owners.

Laurie Boyer, Executive Director of REDI, said “We are thrilled to have Kiesha join our team. With her background in entrepreneurship and small business support, and her knowledge of the available local, regional and national resources, she has already hit the ground running.”