Maura Shenker has been named the director of Temple University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
Shenker brings a wealth of professional experience and entrepreneurial excellence to her role in directing Temple’s SBDC, which has supported small and startup businesses since 1983.
“We are proud to welcome Ms. Maura Shenker to our leadership team with the statewide Pennsylvania SBDC network,” said incoming Pennsylvania SBDC state director Ernie Post. “By supporting thousands of jobs in all 67 counties, our network demonstrates a commitment to helping Pennsylvania become a leader in job creation and small business growth and startups. With 18 centers statewide, the PA SBDC network is making an impact on the Commonwealth every day.
“There is no doubt that an experienced leader, such as Ms. Shenker, will only add to the success of our network.”
Temple’s SBDC, housed at the university’s Fox School of Business, serves Philadelphia and the surrounding communities. The center’s highly trained and experienced staff provides knowledge, support, training programs, and other valuable resources that facilitate the growth and success of the region’s startup and small businesses.
“The Small Business Development Center is a vital resource for economic development in Philadelphia, and we are pleased to welcome Maura as the center’s new director,” said Dr. M. Moshe Porat, dean of Temple University’s Fox School of Business. “Maura is a creative thinker, a successful entrepreneur, and a community development specialist whose experience as a business coach and consultant will continue the proud legacy of our university’s SBDC.”
Before joining Temple University, Shenker served as director of Saint Joseph’s University’s Center for Professional Development. In that role, Shenker coordinated and oversaw all custom and open-enrollment programs in executive education at the university’s Haub School of Business, while also developing growth strategies for the center. She previously served as vice president of development for Finanta, a community-based, mission-driven nonprofit financial institution.
Shenker earned a Master of Organization Development and Leadership degree from Saint Joseph’s University, where she also completed an executive coaching leadership program. She attained a Master of Fine Arts degree from The Ohio State University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rhode Island School of Design.
About Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC)
The Pennsylvania SBDC network is the only statewide, nationally accredited program that provides high quality one-on-one consulting, training and research resources to empower new and existing businesses. SBDC consultants work with entrepreneurs in confidential, individualized sessions to help them with a range of business issues including testing a new business proposition, shaping a business plan, investigating funding opportunities, and much more. The SBDC program is a public/private partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and 18 universities and colleges across the Commonwealth. http://www.pasbdc.org
About Temple University’s Fox School of Business
Established in 1918 and celebrating its Centennial, the Fox School of Business at Temple University is the largest, most-comprehensive business school in the Philadelphia region, and among the largest in the world, with more than 9,000 students, more than 220 full-time faculty, and more than 65,000 alumni around the globe. Accredited by AACSB International—a distinction held by fewer than 5 percent of the world’s business schools—the Fox School has a proud tradition of supporting the development of businesses and delivering innovative, entrepreneurial programs for the last 100 years. With facilities that provide access to market-leading technologies, the school fosters a collaborative and creative learning environment. fox.temple.edu