Florida Tech Women’s Business Center Director Elected to Board
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Beth Gitlin, director, Florida Institute of Technology Women’s Business Center (WBC), was recently elected to the Board of Directors, Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC). This is a nonprofit organization representing women business owners through a network of women’s business centers.
According to Marsha Bailey, chair of the AWBC board, “There are over 100 WBCs in the United States that are partially funded by the SBA (Small Business Administration). The AWBC board of directors is now represented by WBCs in 12 states. This is unprecedented in the history of the AWBC and the collective knowledge of these WBC executives represents hundreds of years of experience in the industry.”
The AWBC’s mission is to support women entrepreneurs so that they create more jobs for the U.S. economy. As our economy changes, entrepreneurial women are emerging as leaders of industry, bringing significant, fresh ideas to the marketplace. Growth by women-owned businesses is surging at a pace faster than that of any other group—one and a half times greater than other groups in the past 15 years, according to the Association of Women’s Business Centers.
Gitlin, former president and owner of Global Passages LLC in Melbourne, an international trade consulting company, is also a Florida Tech Nathan M. Bisk College of Business adjunct professor. She has 18 years of experience in retailing, manufacturing, and the importing and exporting of consumer packaged goods. Additionally, she served nine years with Wal-Mart in various merchandising and international positions with responsibilities involving trade with over 26 different countries. She also served four years as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps.
She earned a master’s degree in business administration from Chaminade University of Honolulu and a master’s degree in Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii. Gitlin is currently working on her doctoral degree in industrial/ organizational psychology at Florida Tech.
About the WBC
The WBC at Florida Tech is partially funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration and is an outreach of the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business. The WBC provides women with opportunities, tools and connections to advance their global influence and success. The center offers well-equipped facilities conveniently located at Florida Tech, teachers, mentors and volunteers with expertise and business knowledge, partnering with community organizations for broad outreach, and training and resources that are onsite and online to accommodate busy schedules and provide easy access.
