What are Regional Councils?
The Association for Enterprise Opportunity’s (AEO) Regional Councils unite local champions from diverse sectors—government, private industry, foundations, and non-profits—to address and elevate the critical issues facing underserved businesses via six regions of the United States. By bringing together these key ecosystem stakeholders, we aim to address the most pressing challenges within our communities collaboratively. Our mission is to deliver localized solutions to regional issues through strategic virtual and in-person events throughout the year.
The AEO Regional Councils are designed to drive action, not just dialogue. Their key activities include:
- In-Person Convenings: Each region will host events, including roadshow stops, to tackle region-specific challenges. These events will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions, and interactive workshops focused on collective action and community-driven solutions.
- Webinars and Virtual Events: To ensure broad participation, the Councils will also offer webinars on critical topics such as access to capital, policy advocacy, and digital transformation, providing ongoing learning and collaboration opportunities.
- Strategic Partnership: The Councils will form strategic partnerships with government agencies, private enterprises, foundations, and nonprofits, offering small businesses access to the tools and networks they need to succeed.
- Advocacy and Policy Development: The Councils will champion policies that support underrepresented small businesses, ensuring that their perspectives are reflected in local, state, and federal decision-making processes.
AEO Announces Regional Council National Convenings
AEO is excited to build on the success of our Leveraging Regionalism to Empower Small Businesses Summit, held May 2, 2024, which explored regional economic development strategies to bolster small business growth, focusing on equitable access, innovative financing, and leveraging technology to foster collaboration between stakeholders. Exciting News! AEO is proud to announce the launch of our Regional Councils with national ecosystem convenings – Leveraging Regionalism to Support Small Business – across six key markets hosted at selected Federal Reserve Banks! These councils are designed to strengthen the local ecosystems that support small business growth, ensuring more equitable opportunities for entrepreneurs nationwide. Through these convenings, we’re bringing together key stakeholders to develop innovative solutions, share best practices, and drive impactful change for small business owners and the eco-system organizations that support them.
Please join us at selected Federal Reserve Bank across the country. Dates, times and locations of regionalism convenings are listed below in chronologic order:
Schedule of Programming (by Region)
Register to Attend a Regional Council Convening
TBA, 2025
San Francisco, CA
West
Alaska
Arizona
California
Hawaii
Idaho
Nevada
Oregon
Washington
TBA, 2025
Dallas, TX
Central
Arkansas
Colorado
Louisiana
Montana
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Texas
Utah
Wyoming
Nov. 20, 2024
Chicago, IL
Midwest
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Ohio
Wisconsin
Oct 15, 2024
Atlanta, GA
South
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
July 16, 2025
Richmond, VA
MidAtlantic
Delaware
District of Columbia
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Virginia
West Virginia
TBA, 2025
Boston, MA
Northeast
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Maine
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Rhode Island
Vermont
Become a Partner
Are you interested in partnering with AEO’s Regional Councils? To learn more, please complete the form below. A member of our team will promptly reach out to discuss your participation and guide you through the next steps.
The Regions
AEO is committed to supporting small businesses across the United States by addressing regional challenges through localized solutions. To better serve diverse communities and economic landscapes, AEO has established six distinct regions. Each region is designed to unite local champions from various sectors—government, private industry, foundations, non-profits, trade associations, think tanks, NGOs, CDFIs, traditional financial institutions, and fintech institutions—to collaboratively tackle the unique issues facing small businesses in their area. By fostering regional councils, AEO aims to highlight best practices, develop innovative strategies, and advocate for essential interventions that drive positive change and economic equity nationwide.
West
Alaska
Arizona
California
Hawaii
Idaho
Nevada
Oregon
Washington
Central
Arkansas
Colorado
Louisiana
Montana
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Texas
Utah
Wyoming
Midwest
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
Ohio
Wisconsin
South
Alabama
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
MidAtlantic
Delaware
District of Columbia
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Virginia
West Virginia
Northeast
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Maine
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Rhode Island
Vermont
Meet the AEO Regional Council Leadership
Carolina Martinez
West
Chief Executive Officer |
California Association for Micro Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO)
Ron Fong
West
Executive Director |
Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Collaborative
Wendy Baumann
Midwest
President & Chief Visionary Officer |
The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation
Bridget Ross
Central
Vice President of Business Support |
LiftFund
Gustavo Lasala
Central
President & Chief Executive Officer |
PeopleFund
Elizabeth Wilson
South
Executive Director |
Georgia Micro Enterprise Network, Inc.
Hal Bowling
South
Co-Founder & Executive Director | LAUNCH Chattanooga
Inez Long
South
President & Chief Executive Officer |
BBIF
Ray Pennie
South
Chief of Business Advisory Services |
Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, Inc. (ACE)
Emi Reyes
MidAtlantic
Chief Executive Officer |
Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC)
James Bason
Northeast
President & Chief Executive Officer |
TruFund Financial Services, Inc.
Samira Cook Gaines
Northeast
Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships |
Rising Tide Capital
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