Robinson Appointed To Head GSA's Office of Enterprise Development

GSA #9645

February 28, 2000
Contact: Eleni Martin 202/501-1231

WASHINGTON - The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced today the appointment of Jackie A. Robinson to head the Office of Enterprise Development, effective immediately.

In making the announcement, GSA Administrator Dave Barram said that Robinson's experience getting things done in the political arena and enthusiasm for helping small businesses will be a major asset to GSA and the small business community.

As Associate Administrator for Enterprise Development, Robinson will lead GSA's small business program and serve as the program's liaison between government agencies and professional and trade associations.

The Office of Enterprise Development's goal is to increase the participation of small, minority and women-owned businesses in federal procurement. The office also makes policy and program initiatives to help GSA meet and exceed President Clinton's government-wide goal of awarding 5% of each agency's contract dollars to women entrepreneurs.

"Last year, of GSA's $8.4 billion contracting dollars," said Robinson, "GSA awarded more than $3.1 billion to small businesses." Robinson said that he would use his education and technology background to launch new kinds of programs that would help America's 23 million small business owners and prepare the small business community technologically for the 21st century.

Robinson came to GSA in February 1998 as Special Assistant to the Administrator, with responsibility for Planet GSA, Smart Cards and the Investment Board.

Now, Robinson will parlay his environmental and technology backgrounds to the Office of Enterprise Development by looking at how technology can help small businesses fill the high-tech vacuum created by the new knowledge economy, as well as how technology can be used to keep small businesses constantly abreast of contracting opportunities. Robinson also said he is interested in exploring how to increase small businesses' role in bringing more environmentally oriented products and services to the government.

Prior to joining GSA, Robinson held positions in local government and the private sector. He served as Executive Vice President for Field Services for the non-profit Communities in Schools, the nation's largest dropout prevention program, from 1993 to 1998. There he managed field operations in 38 states, the United Kingdom and Canada and developed extensive partnerships with the business communities there to support education initiatives.

From 1989 to 1993, Robinson was Manager of Government Affairs at Apple Computer, where he was charged with communicating the company's widely acclaimed education initiatives to policymakers. During apartheid in South Africa, he worked closely with Nelson Mandella and the African National Congress to reestablish Apple's business interests in the country, paving the way for Apple's operation there once sanctions were lifted.

Additionally, Robinson led D.C. Mayor Marion Barry's Youth Leadership Institute and has twice been part of the prestigious Oxford International Round Table on Education Policy with education ministers from around the world.

Robinson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queens College in 1970 and holds a Master's Degree from New York University. He and his wife, Sandra, live in Alexandria, Va., with their two daughters, Nadirah and Zuhirah.