|
![spacer](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116042141im_/http://www.nwbc.gov/images/spacer.gif)
![spacer](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090116042141im_/http://www.nwbc.gov/images/spacer.gif) |
History
The National Women's Business Council
was established as part of the Women's Ownership Act of 1988 (also known as
House Resolution 5050) as an advisory body of women business owners. They
were asked to identify the barriers to success for women-owned businesses
and report annually to the President and Congress on their findings.
By the early 1990s, the Council had
begun bringing together women business owners, policy makers, bankers, representatives
of women's business organizations and other stakeholders to discuss possible
solutions to the challenges facing women business owners, and to recommend
these solutions to the President and Congress.
In 1994, the Small Business Reauthorization
Act changed the structure of the NWBC to its current form to include both
women business owners and representatives of women's business organizations.
In 1998, Public Law 105-235 expanded
the Council's membership to 15, including the Chair.
Today, the Council focuses on four
priorities in achieving its mission:
- Conducting research on issues of importance to women business owners and
their organizations
- Communicating these findings widely
- Connecting the women's business community to one another and to public
policy makers
- Providing a platform for change to expand and improve opportunities for
women business owners and their enterprises.
Today's NWBC plays a vital supporting
role in expanding opportunities for women business owners and prospective
women business owners.
Key
Activities
- "1992 Symposium on Access to Capital" initiated an emphasis on business
financing and resulted in improved access to capital.
- The Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1994, Public Law 103-403 changed
the structure of the NWBC to its current form, including both women business
owners and women's business organization in its membership.
- In 1996, The NWBC sponsored the first Women's Economic Summit, which led
to a regular series of regional women's economic summits as well as international
meetings facilitating the exchange of best practices across borders.
- In 1998, the Council was enlarged from nine Council members to 15, including
the Chair, under the provisions of Public Law 105-135.
- At the 1998 Women's Economic Summit, four key strategies to accelerate
the growth of women-owned business were identified: improved access to capital,
improved access to markets, improved access to training and a women-led
agenda.
- In 2003, NWBC convened a Roundtable on Access to Affordable Health Coverage
by Women-Owned Businesses, which include presentations by a panel of 19
women business owners, business association executives and other stakeholders.
The Council has conducted research
and published numerous reports, issues in brief and newsletter in support
of women in business. See the Research and Publications page for many of these
documents.
For further information about the history
of women's business, see the following NWBC publications:
- Support for Women's Enterprise Development in the United States :
Lessons Learned, by the Council's Executive Director, Julie Weeks,
describes the history of women's enterprise development in the U.S. [ full
paper ]
|