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A Decade of Helping Women in Business by Jane Blume and Sandy Cody

This article was originally published as "From the Executive's Desk" in the Albuquerque Journal's Business Outlook section.

Recently the Northern New Mexico Chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) celebrated a decade of working for the women business owners of our state. Ours is one of 93 chapters in a national organization with 8,000 members, and it is the only dues-based national association representing all women entrepreneurs in all types of businesses.

Nationally, NAWBO traces its beginnings to a group of twelve women business owners in Washington, D.C., who in 1974 began meeting informally to exchange information about procuring federal contracts, bank credit and other important business issues. NAWBO officially began in October of 1976. Its vision is to propel women entrepreneurs into economic, social, and political spheres of power worldwide. Its mission is to:

• Strengthen the wealth-creating capacity of our members and promote economic development,
• Create innovative and effective changes in the business culture,
• Build strategic alliances, coalitions, and affiliations and
• Transform public policy and influence opinion.

When a dynamic public relations expert, Judie Framan, moved to New Mexico from California in 1993 and became Founding President of the Chapter, little could she and her sister organizers have imagined what the next decade would bring.

Several of our past presidents have risen into significant positions of political influence. After serving as chair of the state Democratic Party, Diane Denish (1996-67) was elected Lieutenant Governor last November. Joan Schlueter (1997-98) was recently appointed to the Small Business Administration's (SBA) National Advisory Council, and is a founding National Partner of the 500,000-member Women Impacting Public Policy. Joan and Samantha Lapin (1999-2000), along with several other Chapter members, serve locally on the Central Area Workforce Development Board.

The Chapter"˜s permanent Public Policy Committee has also made its mark:

• 1993-1994: The Committee spearheaded an investigation of women business certification procedures with the City of Albuquerque and State Highway Department, resulting in significant reorganization and more reasonable certification requirements.
• 1995: Chapter members comprised more than half of the New Mexico delegation to the White House Conference on Small Business; Diane Denish served as delegation chair.
• 1999-present: The Committee introduced - and continues to lead - seminars on Grass Roots Lobbying in New Mexico.
• 2002: The Chapter led the successful effort to defeat the mandatory requirements of New Mexico's Family and Medical Leave Act (the voluntary requirements remain).

The Small Business Administration has recognized five of our presidents for their work to strengthen all women business owners. Judie Framan and Samantha Lapin won the SBA's local, regional and national Women in Business Advocate of the Year Award. Joan Schlueter and Cheri Tillman Anderson (2001-02) earned this honor at the local and regional level, and Phyllis Boverie (2000-01) was named local and regional Home-Based Business Advocate of the Year.

The entire Chapter is firmly committed to a mentorship program for members with new companies and women-owned businesses that have received loans from such alternative lenders as WESST corp.

We have also nurtured some of the next generation of women business owners. Over the past seven years, the Chapter has raised thousands of dollars for scholarships to send more than 45 young New Mexicans to Camp Start-up, a national summer program that teaches young women ages 13-19 how to become entrepreneurs.

In addition to our presidents, many of our "regular" (!) members have earned important recognition, from awards in their areas of expertise to leadership positions in other business and professional groups, such as Executive Women International, Downtown Action Team and The Association for Women in Communications.

With our Chapter having grown from 40 members in 1993 to over 300 today, it is clear that "the word is out": if you're a woman who owns a business, NAWBO is where you want to be.