Efrain Gonzalez

Associate Director, Business Development, Minority Business Development Agency

Efrain Gonzalez serves as Associate Director for Business Development at the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) at the U.S. Department of Commerce.  He oversees the Agency’s business development operations and programs.  The Office of Business Development is responsible for creating, developing and implementing innovative solutions to address the challenges faced by minority-owned businesses such as access to capital, access to contracts, access international markets and capacity building.  He is one of MBDA’s longstanding leaders and has served in numerous roles at MBDA throughout his 17-year career at the Department of Commerce.

Prior to Efrain’s return to MBDA, he served as Chief Financial Officer/Chief Administrative Officer at BusinessUSA, a federal government-wide initiative that uses technology to make it easier for small businesses to access federal services. The design for BusinessUSA was based on a Department of Commerce initiative called CommerceConnect, where Efrain served as Deputy Director.  CommerceConnect was a customer service initiative that simplified access to business solutions though a single entry point to programs, information and services.

Efrain began his career in economic development at the University of Southern California’s Business Expansion Network, where he served as Associate Director and managed the operations of a business development center.  While at USC, Efrain worked with city governments, community development banks, business leaders and entrepreneurs to increase opportunities for businesses and foster job creation.

Throughout his career, Efrain has been a tireless advocate for minority businesses, entrepreneurship and helping U.S. firms compete in the global economy. He has a deep appreciation for the challenges faced by business owners because of his own experience running a small business in East Los Angeles.  Efrain is a graduate from the University of Southern California.