FORWARD TOGETHER: 2026 AWARDS

August 26, 2026

9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Blue Ridge Conference Hall at Blue Ridge Community College

49 E. Campus Dr. | Flat Rock, NC 28731

Join Carolina Small Business Development Fund and the Western Women's Business Center for 'Forward Together: The Annual Conference & Awards from CSBDF & WWBC' on August 26 at Blue Ridge Community College!

Agenda

Breakfast and Networking
Entertainment
WNC Video Highlight
WNC Ecosystem Panel
Community Activator of the Year Award
Change Agent of the Year Award
SBC Startup Showdown Finalists Presentation
Sparks of Innovation Panel
CSBDF Video Highlight
Lunch
Keynote Address from Dr. Patricia Mitchell
Small Business Policy Champion Awards
Innovator of the Year Award
Torchbearer of the Year Award
CSBDF Legacy Award
Event Concludes

Sponsors

Platinum Sponsor

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Small Business Supporters

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Patricia Mitchell, CEcD

MPA Program Director, Assistant Professor of Public Administration | Appalachian State University

Dr. Patricia Mitchell, CEcD joined the Department of Government and Justice Studies in January 2017 after several years with local and state government. She previously was the Assistant Secretary for Rural Development at the NC Department of Commerce where she managed a number of state and federal incentive grant programs and planning initiatives. While at Commerce, Dr. Mitchell was the Secretary’s designee on the State Water Infrastructure Authority at the Department of Environmental Quality and was the Governor’s Alternate on the Appalachian Regional Commission, a 13-state/federal partnership. Prior to her work at Commerce, she served nine years as the Director of Economic Development in Ashe County NC with two of those years as the Ashe County Manager. She was an Assistant Professor in East Carolina University’s Master of Public Administration program and an Adjunct Professor in Appalachian State’s MPA program 2005-2014. Dr. Mitchell earned her DPA and MPA degrees from the University of Georgia and holds the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) distinction from the International

Economic Development Council (IEDC). She is the current President of the NC Economic Development Association (NCEDA); holds a Certificate of County Administration from the UNC School of Government; maintains professional memberships in the International Economic Development Council, International City/County Management Association and the American Society of Public Administration. Dr. Mitchell currently is serving a 3-year term on UNC School of Government’s Foundation Board of Directors. Her areas of expertise and interest include state and local government, economic development, public management, budgeting, strategies for rural economic development, and public policy development and implementation.

Our Awards

2026 Torchbearer of the Year

This award recognizes an individual or organization who embodies a shared commitment with CSBDF and the WWBC to exemplifying excellence in community and economic development through the lens of our three-pronged torch approach: capital, technical assistance, and policy research.

2026 CSBDF Legacy Award

This award recognizes an individual who has exhibited a long-term commitment to the advancement, support, and championing of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and economic development in North Carolina, and who has consistently worked to help light the way for small business owners in our state.

2026 Community Activator of the Year

This award recognizes an individual or organization who has demonstrated a shared commitment to serving and empowering underserved entrepreneurs and communities.

2026 Change Agent of the Year

This award recognizes a small business owner who has demonstrated excellence in advancing positive change for their business, employees, and community.

2026 Innovator of the Year

This award recognizes a small business owner who has demonstrated creativity, innovation, and leadership as an entrepreneur and in their community.

2026 Small Business Policy Champion

This award recognizes government leaders who have demonstrated a commitment to North Carolina’s entrepreneurs and small business ecosystem and have worked to advance policies that benefitted and strengthened the landscape for our state’s small businesses.

Award Winners

Torchbearer of the Year