2002 Annual Spring Meeting Moderator - Joan Parrott-Fonseca, Founder and President of JPF & Associates

Joan Parrott-Fonseca has a comprehensive career in local, state and Federal Government service. Her career path is further enhanced by substantive experience with the private and non-profit sectors. This multi-faceted professional has focused on business and economic development; municipal investment banking and international trade. Ms. Parrott- Fonseca is the Founder and President of JPF & Associates.

Prior to business ownership, Ms. Parrott- Fonseca was the Senior Vice President for Business Development, Harvest Capitol Investments, LLC. Harvest is a full service brokerage firm dedicated to providing clients with quality investment research, trading, and investment banking services. Harvest Capitols' clients include investment managers of both public and private pension funds in the United States and Europe. Ms. Parrott-Fonseca was successful in forging strategic partnerships with larger investment firms which resulted in winning clients in the public finance arena.

Appointed by the late Secretary Ronald H. Brown, Ms. Parrott- Fonseca was the first woman to serve as the Director of the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), United States Department of Commerce in its thirty year history. She directed the overall management of the agency's $50 million- dollar budget and successfully administered MBDA's national program that forged the new public/ private partnerships. Several value-added programs with financial institutions and corporations to increase access to capitol for business start-ups and expansion were created under her leadership. Ms. Parrott- Fonseca also spearheaded the "Minority Matchmaker Program" in partnership with the International Trade Administration, and led successful trade missions to South Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. This global market access program resulted in an estimated $300 million in U.S. exports and has been institutionalized by the Department of Commerce.

Prior to joining the Department of Commerce, Ms. Parrott- Fonseca served as Associate Administrator at the U.S. General Services Administration ( GSA). She was instrumental in the reorganization and establishment of the Office of Enterprise Development (OED), which was elevated to GSA's Executive Management level. As Associate Administrator for OED, Ms. Parrott- Fonseca managed procurement programs aimed at increasing contract and subcontract opportunities for small, women and minority- owned businesses. She also served on GSA's Executive Committee that resolved critical issues such as government re-invention, privatization and review of financial systems for oversight of GSA's client agencies.

Ms. Parrott- Fonseca also served as Acting Director and Deputy Director of the District of Columbia's Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA). Her responsibilities were to direct the regulation of business activities, consumer affairs, land and building use, occupational and professional conduct, insurance administration, environmental regulation and zoning for the District of Columbia. She was responsible for overseeing thirty- three professional licensing boards and commissions and a workforce of over 800 employees. During this time President Clinton selected Ms. Parrott- Fonseca to serve as a member of the Clinton- Gore Transition Team. While serving, she was a key advisor to senior Administration officials on issues pending before the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Prior to the Federal and District appointments, Ms Parrott- Fonseca served the State of New York as Director of Business Services for th Governor's Office of Minority and Women- owned Business. She designed and implemented business development strategies for small and minority businesses and administered the statewide minority business certification program. She also served as Director for the Office of Economic Development Opportunity and Compliance for the New York State Department of Transportation. This program ensured that the transportation and construction industries complied with applicable local, state and Federal regulations governing equity. Ms. Parrott-Fonseca was also responsible for technical assistance and promotional activities for small, minority and disadvantaged businesses active in domestic and international trade.

In 1986, Ms. Parrott-Fonseca joined the firm of A.M. Herman & Associates as a Senior Associate. In this capacity, she advised senior executives of "Fortune 500" companies and provided technical assistance in designing and implementing strategies for diversity, urban marketing, human resource management, and demographic issues related to the "workforce 2000" projections.

Ms. Parrott-Fonseca holds a Masters in Public Administration, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government (1998), Law degree from Georgetown University Law Center (1981), Masters Degree in Human Resource Management from George Washington University (1974), and a Bachelors of Arts from Howard University (1973). Ms. Parrott-Fonseca also holds a Certificate in International Leadership and Management from Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (1988).