Mia Delano

About Mia Delano

With nearly 30 years of experience as a leader in gender equity and inclusive diversity, Mia currently serves as a member of the senior leadership team and senior vice president of strategic initiatives for the Women\'s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Headquartered in Washington, DC, WBENC is the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, operated, and controlled by women in the United States, and is the nation\'s leading advocate for women-owned businesses as suppliers to America\'s corporations. In her current role, Mia oversees the advocacy efforts and strategic initiatives on behalf of WBENC and its constituents, which include the largest businesses majority-owned and operated by women in the US and representatives of the Fortune 500. Previously, Mia oversaw the development channels and revenue streams for WBENC and led the development team in strengthening and enhancing corporate partnerships through WBENC initiatives and programmatic offerings to further the WBENC mission.Prior to her position with WBENC, Mia spent 15+ years with the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) in Chicago. The WBDC is the forerunner of women\'s business development in the country and is a nationally recognized leader for its advocacy on behalf of small, minority & women-owned businesses, and for its responsive, innovative, and effective programs. In her final position for over a decade, she served as a member of the leadership team and as the director of development, overseeing funding and building strategic partnerships. Under her leadership, the WBDC revenue streams doubled, and in some cases quadrupled, in size. Mia also served as the director of the annual Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference, the oldest conference and business opportunities fair for women business owners in the country and the largest marketing, publicity-generating, and fundraising tool for the WBDC. Under her leadership for over a decade, the Entrepreneurial Woman’s Conference tripled in size and still serves as one of the premier events for women business owners in the nation. A highly skilled strategic implementation, fundraising, communications, and public relations expert, Mia is also a steadfast advocate for the growth and advancement of diverse businesses. A native of the Midwest, Mia attended both the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and Columbia College Chicago earning a B.A. in Marketing Communications & Public Relations.

Experience

1. Senior Vice President Strategy

   Wbenc

   Mar 2024 — Present · US

Education

• Columbia College Chicago

  Bachelor of Arts, Public Relations, Marketing Communications

  1997 — 1999

• University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

  Political Science, English

  1991 — 1993

Skills

• External Relations
• Management
• Strategy
• Event Management
• Community Relations
• Program Management
• Business Development
• Communications Strategy
• Client Relationship Building
• Social Media Marketing
• Small Business
• International Relations
• Brand Management
• Fundraising
• Marketing Strategy
• Social Media
• Event Planning
• Sponsorship Acquisition
• Marketing
• Major Events
• Nonprofits
• Sponsorship
• Strategic Planning
• Leadership Development
• Non-Profits
• Women and Minority Business Advocate
• Women's Markets
• Crm
• Customer Retention
• Reputation Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Organizational Development
• Client Retention
• Strategic Partnerships
• Strategic Communications
• Community Outreach
• Community Development
• Training
• New Business Development
• Public Relations