Lora Brown

As the Interim Executive Director, Brown will provide leadership to this statewide program comprising more than 22 locations. She joined the Maryland SBDC in 1998 as a program coordinator. She was later promoted to the Deputy Director position, where she was responsible for oversight of the Network’s operations for 20 years.

Brown received her B.A. in English, cum laude, from Howard University, J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and M.B.A. in Finance from New York University. Before joining the SBDC, she practiced law at the Community Legal Services in Philadelphia, PA. She assisted low-income individuals with issues ranging from family law to Supplemental Security appeals and bankruptcy. While in business school, she began pursuing entrepreneurship development through the Urban Business Assistance Corporation by providing technical assistance to small businesses in New York City. Upon earning her M.B.A, Brown worked with Syndicated Communications, a venture capital firm that targets minority-owned media communications companies, and Media Communications Group, a specialty-lending group affiliated with Signet Bank. as an Investment Analyst.

During her tenure as Deputy Director, Brown led the Maryland SBDC Network to prepare the ASBDC Accreditation self-study and implement organizational improvements, which resulted in accreditation without conditions. She is active on America’s SBDC Accreditation Committee, where she and other State and Associate Directors conduct peer reviews of SBDC programs nationwide. The accreditation process, funded by the U S Small Business Administration and based on Baldrige standards of excellence, drives continuous improvement for SBDC programs across the country.

“I am fortunate to have the opportunity to lead the talented and dedicated team of professionals at the Maryland SBDC, excited about what lies ahead, and confident that we can work together with our partners to move the Maryland SBDC program forward,” said Brown.