IED Texas

Anna Borrego is stakeholder communications coordinator at the San Antonio Small Business Development Center. She has over 14 years of extensive customer service experience. At the San Antonio SBDC, Anna’s role as an administrative professional allows her to analyze, compile, and report economic impact of SBDC services. She also communicates SBDC clients' successes to various stakeholder groups.

Anna earned a BBA degree with a specialty in marketing from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. She was selected to receive the “Team Player of the Year” award for 2007, 2008, and 2009 by her peers and has been awarded the Institute for Economic Development’s service award for 2007 and 2008.

Mr. Salgado is the Director of the South-West Texas Border Small Business Development Center Network, which is hosted by UTSA’s Institute for Economic Development. The program serves 79 counties with field offices in San Antonio, Austin/San Marcos, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Edinburg, Eagle Pass, Laredo, Alpine, San Angelo, and El Paso, including two specialty centers in San Antonio.

Mr. Salgado’s professional experience includes small business management and ownership, strategic planning, organizational leadership, and entrepreneurial management. He holds an M.B.A. from Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio and a B.B.A. from Eastern New Mexico University. Mr. Salgado is married and has two children living in Dallas, Texas. He shares his expertise and experience with numerous professional and trade organizations.

Anna Uriegas is the Administrative Associate II for the Institute for Economic Development SBDC National Information Clearinghouse (SBDCNet). She joined SBDCNet December, 2007 bringing more than 30 years of administrative, academic, secretarial and clerical experience to her position of administrative support to key leadership within the SBDCNet. In her spare time, she enjoys selling and renovating real estate.

David Baenziger has 20-plus years of small-business ownership experience primarily in the grocery and convenience store industry. David has been with the San Antonio Small Business Development Center for more than 9 years. He has 5 times been awarded the San Antonio SBDC Counselor of the Year Award and was awarded the San Antonio SBA District Counselor of the Year award in May 2003. In October 2003, he was honored by the Association of Small Business Development Centers at their annual meeting in San Diego as a 2003 State Star Counselor.

David delivers workshops and presentations on business planning, financial management, and marketing to groups and organizations that are local, statewide, national, and international. David continues his professional development by attending workshops and training on sales, customer service, and marketing. In 2007, he received the Certified Global Business Professional designation. David has mentored and advised many small business owners on sales and customer service in their businesses. He has assisted many business owners in starting or expanding a business.

David Clark joined SATAI in April 2006 as its Director of Enterprise Services.David currently is SATAI’s Director of Investment Services. In this capacity David works directly with both entrepreneurs and potential investors in preparing ventures for possible investment activity – either through private sources or through the Texas Emerging Technology Fund. David returned to his native San Antonio after a 15 year hiatus in Washington, DC and the Pacific Northwest. Prior to joining SATAI, David had a 25 year professional career in a number senior sales & marketing management positions with such companies as IBM/Tivoli, PeopleSoft, and TRW.

In all David’s positions his responsibilities included not only management of sales and marketing operations, but also strategic and tactical control of new product initiatives, product launches, and marketing logistics. David's broad based sales and marketing background in a variety of markets and products brings real-world experience to the process of launching new ventures based on innovative technologies. David holds a BA and JD from Southern Methodist University and is a graduate of Schertz-Cibolo High School here in the San Antonio area.

In May of 2008 Doug joined the International Trade Center, a center within the Institute for Economic Development, as in-house graphic designer. In the last decade Doug has been the in-house designer for three organizations and runs his own freelance graphic design business, CohenMiller Design, where where he works with non-profits, small businesses and arts organizations.

Before joining the IED team, Doug completed a degree in Culinary Arts at the acclaimed Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, Atlanta campus. Since then Doug has completed a degree in Graphic Design and holds a certificate in Digital Design from San Antonio College.

Dominique Halaby, DPA, is director of the Center for Community and Business Research at the Institute for Economic Development. The center's skilled economists and faculty members have helped community and business leaders to better understand the economy and how it works. From helping communities deal with the effects of BRAC 2005 to helping secure major corporate relocations to undertaking research that will affect state legislation, our projects have helped reshape the San Antonio and South Texas economy.

Dominique has a Doctorate of Public Administration from Nova Southeastern University, an MBA from UT-Pan American and a BA from the University of Texas.

Dawn Jimenez has been a Researcher with the SBDCNet since January 2009. Prior to joining the SBDCNet staff, she worked for the University of North Texas, the University of Texas at Arlington, NCH Corporation and the Disney Corporation.

Dawn holds a Masters degree in Library Science from the Univeristy of North Texas and a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education with an emphasis in eduation of the Gifted and Talented from the University of Texas at Arlington.

She and her computer science professor husband enjoy traveling within the United States and Europe.

Deirdre Pattillo, SPHR, is Project Manager/Human Resource Specialist for the South-West Texas Border SBDC Region's Contracting Resource Center at UTSA.  She has served the SBDC community for over 11 years with the past 4 years being focused on Human Resources and regulatory compliance.  Her goal is to be a key resource for the people side of small business.

Deirdre has worked with the Institute for Economic Development for the past eleven years in various capacities and programs ranging from administrative/research to program development.

Deborah Schueneman has been with the SBDC program since 1991 when she began as a business advisor. Prior to that time, she enjoyed partnership in Celebration Savvy, Inc, a food service business whose success is owed to an unwavering focus on a very targeted market. She earned a Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&I University in Kingsville, TX and an MBA from UTSA.

Deborah assumed the directorship of the SBDC National Information Clearinghouse in June, 2005.

Douglas Smith is the assistant director for the International Trade Center at UTSA's Institute for Economic Development. The center provides international trade consulting to small and medium-size companies in 79 Texas counties. Doug works with San Antonio, San Angelo, and Austin-area clients, including companies in the medical equipment, processed foods, steel, industrial equipment, and information technology industries.

He has been involved in international trade and marketing consulting for more than 25 years, focusing on import and export development, international marketing strategy, international market research, marketing channel management, industry and economic research, and trade finance. His international experience includes numerous projects involving Western Europe, South America, Asia, and Africa.

He holds a B.A. in history from DePauw University, an M.A. in Government and International Relations and an MBA in Finance and International Business from the University of Texas at Austin, and has done additional graduate work in economics at American University. He is a Certified Global Business Professional.

Erica Bishop joined the SATAI team in 2006 and serves as the Client Services Analyst. Erica is directly involved with initial client counseling and consulting services. She is responsible for coordinating resources and coaching clients toward optimum mix of assistance to help achieve their goals. Erica is responsible for maintaining financial records of SATAI, assisting in the preparation of financial reports, and overseeing the financial affairs of the firm.

Prior to joining SATAI, Erica was a marketing financial assistant for MetLife, Farmers, and New York Life Insurance. She has also been involved in various capacities of event planning. Erica has over 7 years experience in human resources, management, administration, and marketing.

Ernest Gerlach has over 20 years of combined experience in economic, community and business development, public policy research, human resource development, workforce planning and social science research. From 1990 to 2008 he managed the Center for Economic Development at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). The Center provided technical, capacity building and research support to local governments, communities, nonprofits and economic development corporations throughout South Texas and the Border Region. Today he coordinates the Rural Business Program (RBP) through the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network housed within UTSA's Institute for Economic Development. The RBP is designed to promote economic, business and community development in rural communities and areas throughout South and West Texas and the Border Region.

Mr. Gerlach also serves on numerous local and regional committees and boards. He holds a graduate degree in Urban Studies from Trinity University and a graduate degree in Public Administration from The University of Texas at San Antonio.

Felipe Chacon is a TSA Researcher for SBDCNet.

Faith Hinchman, PHR, is a Business Development Specialist in Human Resources with the SBDC Contracting Resource Center. She has been with the Institute for Economic Development at UTSA for almost five years working in various capacities to serve small businesses. Faith’s professional and educational backgrounds have focused primarily on Human Resources and Training and Development, and in December of 2008 she received her M.A. in Adult Learning and Teaching from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Frank Salazar is a TSA Researcher for SBDCNet.

Gilbert (Gil) Gonzalez served as deputy undersecretary and acting undersecretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development mission area in Washington, D.C. He managed Rural Housing Services, Rural Utilities Service and Rural Business-Cooperative Service managing efforts related to minority home ownership, broadband, renewable energy, small business and faith-based programs. While at USDA Mr. Gonzalez also served as an advisor to Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman during the Katrina and Rita hurricane recovery efforts in the State of Louisiana.

In 2006, Gonzalez joined the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding team, as deputy director where he facilitated the long-term rebuilding efforts in Louisiana and in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Region.

Prior to is appointment to USDA, Mr. Gonzalez served as president of the Community Development Loan Fund, Inc. overseeing the company’s investment and loan portfolio.  The CDLF was a collaborative between the City of San Antonio and 21 bank investors to serve the credit and capital needs of small businesses and non-profit organizations. He also served as a business advisor for the UTSA San Antonio Small Business Development Center.

On Sept. 1, 2009, Mr. Gonzalez joined the University of Texas at San Antonio Institute for Economic Development to serve as Director of the Rural Business Program (RBP). He will manage the Rural Business Program (RBP) with major emphasis on rural community capacity-building and business development casework within the South-West Texas Border SBDC Network.