The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) has added its first Director of Entrepreneurship.
Kathryn Orr, will integrate NCRC’s Race, Wealth and Community team’s research and advocacy with real-time application directly with small businesses. She will also spearhead the relaunch of the DC Women’s’ Business Center, which is funded in part by a cooperative agreement between NCRC and the Small Business Administration.
Orr, based in Washington, D.C., will make her first priority to address the technical assistance needs of COVID-19-affected small businesses through tailored education, training and advisory services in the D.C. Metropolitan area.
Orr holds a BBA from Howard University and an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.
“Adding this new position to our team speaks to the great challenges faced by entrepreneurs during this time of increasing economic insecurity, particularly for women and communities of color,” said Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, Chief of Race, Wealth and Community. “Kathryn will provide years of experience and new energy to the Entrepreneurship work of NCRC and help us continue to develop our Women’s Business Center.”
“I’m excited to join the Race, Wealth and Community team and honored to lead the work being done with women-owned businesses at this unprecedented time,” said Orr. “The advisors at the DCWBC understand the additional fear and uncertainty COVID-19 has brought to our small business community and we have scaled up our operations to increase our client load but still be able to address the needs of the business owner as well as the business. We are helping women to weather this storm and build strong foundations for their businesses that can withstand whatever comes next.”
