MBDA Northeast Regional Director Recognized for a Lifetime Dedicated to Promoting the Minority Business Community
Heyward Davenport to receive the Minority Business Activist Award at the CBCF 2010 Minority Business Awards Reception
WASHINGTON (September 17, 2010) - The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) is proud to announce that Mr. Heyward Davenport, MBDA’s Northeast Regional Director, will receive the Minority Business Activist Award at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 40th Annual Legislative Conference 2010 Minority Business Awards Reception held tonight at the Washington Convention Center from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m..
“Heyward Davenport is extremely deserving of this award,” said David A. Hinson, MBDA National Director. “He is being recognized not just for his impact as an individual, but for the overall affect he has had on the minority business community, from his guidance on minority programs at federal, state and local government agencies to his influence on and work with numerous non-profit organizations focused on creating jobs and opportunities for minorities.”
As Regional Director, Davenport currently oversees the MBDA Northeast Region – serving minority-owned businesses in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont and West Virginia. Davenport has also been inducted into the Minority Business Hall of Fame and Museum located in Dallas, Texas.
In 2009, the Northeast Region generated nearly $600 million in contracts and financing opportunities for minority-owned firms under Davenport’s direction.
“Heyward has committed a lifetime to promoting and advancing the minority business community, starting with his role as a civil rights activist in the 1960s,” Hinson added. “He has been a leader in the field because of his vast knowledge of every facet of minority business development, and we’re proud to have him as part of our team.”
Davenport, a native of Newberry, S.C., has lived in New York for more than three decades and has a wealth of experience in management, planning, financial services and community development. His career began in community development, and he eventually became Executive Director of the HARYOU-Act Community Corporation in Harlem, one of the largest community development agencies in the nation. Following his role at HARYOU-Act, he held several executive positions within the New York City government, including: Commissioner of the Model Cities Administration, Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Human Resources Administration, and Deputy Executive Director of the New York City Department of City Planning.
Prior to joining MBDA, Davenport was the Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Department of Economic Development, Minority and Women’s Business Division for 12 years.
Davenport holds a B.A from Johnson C. Smith University, an M.S. from Columbia University and completed post-graduate work in management and administration at New York University and Duke University.
About the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA)
MBDA (mbda.gov), U.S. Department of Commerce, serves minority entrepreneurs across America who are building and growing enterprises. MBDA helps minority-owned firms become better equipped to create jobs, impact local economies and compete successfully in domestic and global marketplaces. With a nationwide network of more than 40 business centers and strategic partners, MBDA assists minority entrepreneurs and business owners with consulting services, contract and financing opportunities, bonding and certification services, building business-to-business alliances and executive training.
