WORKING GROUP SPEAKER

Joann J. Hill

Chief, Office of Business Development U.S. Department of Commerce,
Minority Business Development Agency

Ms. Joann J. Hill, a native of Columbia, South Carolina is the Chief of the Office of Business Development for the United States Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA).  Ms. Hill has served at MBDA for more than a decade and in her current capacity has oversight of the Office of Business Development. She also serves as the lead federal program officer for the nationwide network of more than 40 Business Centers that generate $4 billion in performance goals annually.

She is responsible for the creation and implementation of strategies for business development in the areas of access to capital, access to contracts, access to emerging domestic and international markets and global supply chains. Additionally, Ms. Hill facilitates stakeholder collaboration with chambers of commerce and trade associations. She engages in international business initiatives both domestically and abroad, designed to promote business to business linkages.

Ms. Hill has served as Conference Director for the National Minority Enterprise Development (MED) Week Conference, the Nation’s largest federally sponsored conference on minority business enterprise. This Conference is held annually in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Hill holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from EmoryUniversity, Goizueta Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Benedict College.  Prior to joining MBDA she worked in the areas of operations management, banking, and finance.