Full Name
Carmen West
Job Title
VP, EOI
Company (Please input the full name of your organization)
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Speaker Bio
Ms. West currently serves as a Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, spearheading the Equality of Opportunity Initiative, creating sustainable solutions to race based opportunities gaps within the realms of entrepreneurship and employment. With a rich background as an accomplished executive, she brings extensive leadership from both public and private sectors, having excelled in business, finance, workforce, legislative, policy and entrepreneurial ventures.
West’s work in the Obama and Biden Administrations highlights her strategic prowess. As a key advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce, she pioneered initiatives addressing capital, supply chain, and investment for underserved middle market companies. Notably, she led groundbreaking efforts, securing a first ever $100 million MOU to dismantle barriers to capital access for underserved entrepreneurs, the first ever initiative to support female, emerging managers resulting in $1B awards in fixed assets, and the first ever finance initiative using mergers & acquisitions as a growth strategy for middle market women and underserved firms. In the Biden Administration, she served as a Senior Advisor and established the Agency's first-ever venture capital program, closing investment gaps for middle-market, women owned and underserved companies and lead legislative efforts relating to access to capital and supply chain. Her impactful roles include advising the interim National Director on the American Rescue Plan Act's State Small Business Initiative, resulting in a $100 million allocation to the Minority Business Development Agency from the U.S. Department of Treasury.
As a private sector executive, West has collaborated with legislators spanning from the Ohio legislature to Capitol Hill on supply chain, workforce, finance, banking, energy, oil & gas, and public utilities. Ms. West was appointed by Governor, John Kasich to the Ohio Minority Business Executive Committee, an 8-member body advising the governor on statewide, complex concerns relating to minority business, employment, and policy. She was also appointed by Governor, Ted Strickland, as Vice Chair of the Ohio Minority Business Advisory Council overseeing $1.72B in the state of Ohio’s procurement.
West’s work in the Obama and Biden Administrations highlights her strategic prowess. As a key advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce, she pioneered initiatives addressing capital, supply chain, and investment for underserved middle market companies. Notably, she led groundbreaking efforts, securing a first ever $100 million MOU to dismantle barriers to capital access for underserved entrepreneurs, the first ever initiative to support female, emerging managers resulting in $1B awards in fixed assets, and the first ever finance initiative using mergers & acquisitions as a growth strategy for middle market women and underserved firms. In the Biden Administration, she served as a Senior Advisor and established the Agency's first-ever venture capital program, closing investment gaps for middle-market, women owned and underserved companies and lead legislative efforts relating to access to capital and supply chain. Her impactful roles include advising the interim National Director on the American Rescue Plan Act's State Small Business Initiative, resulting in a $100 million allocation to the Minority Business Development Agency from the U.S. Department of Treasury.
As a private sector executive, West has collaborated with legislators spanning from the Ohio legislature to Capitol Hill on supply chain, workforce, finance, banking, energy, oil & gas, and public utilities. Ms. West was appointed by Governor, John Kasich to the Ohio Minority Business Executive Committee, an 8-member body advising the governor on statewide, complex concerns relating to minority business, employment, and policy. She was also appointed by Governor, Ted Strickland, as Vice Chair of the Ohio Minority Business Advisory Council overseeing $1.72B in the state of Ohio’s procurement.
