When the Bush administration eliminated the White House Office
for Women's Initiatives and Outreach in January, the
women's business community had reason to be concerned. Was this
what they should expect from the new White House? A year into the
Bush administration, the answer still isn't clear.
"I got a [newsletter] dated August 10 from the Women's
Information Network [in the] White House Office of Public
Liaison," says Melissa Wahl, executive director of the
National Association of Female Executives (NAFE). "[So]
evidently, an effort is being made to reach out to women's
organizations."
Besides the newsletter, the administration has also held a
series of "get acquainted" meetings with women's
organizations. And according to Terry Neese, owner of GrassRoots
Impact Inc., an Oklahoma City firm connecting corporations with
minority- and women-owned businesses, there are a number of people
in the administration who could advocate for women
entrepreneurs.
"We need someone at the
table who will say, 'Let's step back and see how women
would view this issue.'"
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"Karen Hughes is one of [Bush's] political advisors,
and she has a lot of input," says Neese. "Mary Matalin
[counselor to Vice President Cheney and assistant to Bush] I know
to be very pro-woman, particularly concerning women
entrepreneurs."
Neese also sees the presence of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and
economic security advisor Condoleeza Rice in the cabinet as
indications of Bush's concern for women's issues.
But Sheila Brooks, vice president for public policy with the
National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), hasn't
seen anything concrete happen yet. "I don't know if the
reason is that it takes time when you make the transition from one
administration to another." One hold-up she does know of was
the absence of an SBA administrator to articulate and direct a
White House small-business strategy. But that changed at the end of
July with the approval of Los Angeles entrepreneur Hector Barreto
Jr. to fill the slot. Since then, Barreto has confirmed Wilma
Goldstein as head of the SBA's Office of Women's Business
Ownership (OWBO).
One of Goldstein's projects is helping women grow their
companies. She says this could include getting them more involved
in international trade and improving access to capital and
procurement.
"Procurement is the thorn in everybody's side,"
says Goldstein. Despite the creation of the Office of Federal
Contract Assistance for Women Business Owners, which works to
increase federal contracting opportunities for women-owned small
businesses, and four years of effort on OWBO's part, women are
no closer to obtaining their federally mandated 5 percent of
government contracts. In fact, the percentage going to women
dropped from 2.5 percent in 1999 to 2.3 percent in 2000.
Among the other issues not addressed at press time was
appointments to the National Women's Business Council (NWBC)
and the Interagency Committee on Women's Business Enterprise.
NWBC is a bipartisan, private-sector organization that advises the
president, Congress and the Interagency Committee, its
public-sector counterpart. The president appoints these positions
in consultation with the SBA administrator, says Goldstein.
"We need someone at the table who will say, 'Let's
step back and see how women would view this issue,'" says
Neese.
Despite the Bush administration's slowness in addressing
their concerns, women business leaders approve of the appointment
of Barreto, applaud the tax cuts and are taking a wait-and-see
attitude when it comes to moving from talk to action.
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