SCORE Small Business Mentors Announces New Board Members

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SCORE, the nation's largest network of volunteer, expert business mentors, and the SCORE Foundation are pleased to announce the appointment of new members to their boards of directors, supporting SCORE's mission to foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education.

"We are delighted to welcome our new board members who bring a wealth of diverse experience and expertise to SCORE in its mission to serve America's small businesses," said SCORE Association Chairman Scott Harkins. "We appreciate their commitment and leadership. I look forward to working together in the coming year."

"SCORE makes it possible to empower all entrepreneurs to succeed as they navigate unprecedented challenges," said SCORE Foundation Chair Pat Loftus. "Each of our new directors believes deeply in our mission and brings unique, strategic perspectives and diverse business connections to further advance the Foundation's purposeful philanthropic work."

The new board members are:

SCORE Association

Kelly Bingel is an entrepreneur with decades of Capitol Hill experience that includes serving as a U.S. Senate chief of staff and partner in a top lobbying firm. While working as a lobbyist, she began investing in several Washington, D.C.-area small businesses before launching Dynamic Gymnastics in 2013. Kelly began her career covering crime and politics at The Tulsa Tribune. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at Louisiana State University, earned a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center and is a member of the Virginia Bar Association.

Frank Klisanich is an accomplished business leader experienced in improving performance, sales and profits for both U.S. and international consumer products companies. He successfully led the expansion of ConAgra Foods Snacks Group into 70+ countries and served as CEO at The Village Company. Currently, Frank serves as a consultant to start-ups and small companies sharing his expertise in strategy, marketing and sales. He is also an adjunct instructor at several universities in the Twin Cities area. Frank has a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Western Ontario (Canada) and an MBA from Queen's University (Canada).

Ray Vicks is a financial expert and certified public accountant with 40 years of experience in public accounting and senior corporate finance positions. A board member for both corporate and non-profit organizations, Ray has expertise in corporate governance, auditing, finance, equity and debt structuring, strategic planning, business process design and enterprise risk management.  In addition to his 33-year tenure in the public accounting and advisory field, Ray served as CFO of a regional health care system.

Find the full list of SCORE Association board members here.

SCORE Foundation

Tameka Montgomery has held executive leadership roles across numerous business sectors and was appointed by President Barack Obama as a senior executive with the U.S. Small Business Administration, leading training programs for the nation's 28 million small business owners. She also led Colorado's premier business leadership organization, designing programs and initiatives to engage the business community as civic change-makers. As the founder of Core Strategy Partners, she brings the needs and experience of stakeholders to the center of strategic business decisions. 

Gale Murray has extensive publishing experience including senior leadership roles with American City Business Journals and Dow Jones. Gale's experience in sales and management includes strategic business planning, relationship management, marketing and new business development. She holds a bachelor's degree in communications and business administration from Purdue University and is a member of the International Women's Forum of Massachusetts. She also serves as a board member for Junior Achievement of Northern New England and Special Olympics of Massachusetts.

Nkechi "Payton" Iheme is the head of public policy for North America and Latin America at Bumble. Her areas of expertise include community building, online safety, diversity and equity, data privacy, the digital economy, small business and public/private partnerships. Payton previously led aspects of public policy outreach at Facebook and served as the senior policy advisor for communication technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. She has also held various roles in the Department of Defense, the State Department and as a congressional legislative liaison. She is a proud military officer/veteran.

Jim Grimsley has served SCORE in a variety of volunteer leadership capacities, including as a mentor, member of the SCORE Association board of directors, president of SCORE's Austin chapter and on the National Advisory Board. A new member of the SCORE Foundation board, Jim serves as vice chairman. Throughout his distinguished career, Jim held leadership roles at the Amoco Corporation and CSC Index, Inc. and was a partner at Accenture, leading their global upstream energy practice. His expertise includes strategy, sustainability, supply chain and mergers and acquisitions. Jim earned his bachelor's degree in management from the University of New Orleans.

Find the full list of SCORE Foundation board members here.

About SCORE:
Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs to start, grow or troubleshoot a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide, creating 45,027 new businesses and 74,535 non-owner jobs in 2020 alone. Follow @SCOREMentors on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

About the SCORE Foundation:
The SCORE Foundation is the philanthropic arm of SCORE, America's premier source of free and confidential small business advice. To learn more or to make a donation, visit our website athttps://scorefoundation.org/

Contact:
Betsy Dougert
SCORE
800-634-0245
[email protected]

SOURCE SCORE