Mark Winchester
Mark Winchester is the Deputy District Director for the Houston District Office of the U.S Small Business Administration and has been with the agency for 13 years.
As Deputy District Director, Winchester’s duties include supervising district staff and assisting the District Director in overseeing the delivery of SBA programs and services in the 32 counties served by the district. Last year, this included over $1Billion in loan guarantees and surety for small businesses in the district.
Winchester is also 2015 Ike Award Recipient. Established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service was created to allow the President to recognize civilian officers or employees of the federal government who have made contributions “so outstanding that the officer or employee is deserving of greater public recognition than that which can be accorded by the head of the department or agency in which he is employed.”
Before joining SBA, Mr. Winchester worked for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) for nearly eight years. During that time Mr. Winchester worked for the Women’s Business Center (WBC), Small Business Development Center (SBDC), the Veteran’s Business Outreach Center (VBOC) and the Rio South Texas Regional Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC).
Mr. Winchester is also a three-time recipient of the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) District Office Counselor of the Year Award and a two-time recipient of both the SBDC State Star Award and Congressional Letters of Recognition.
While at UTRGV, Mr. Winchester held various positions including SBDC Certified Business Advisor (CBA) Level IV Counselor, Special Projects Coordinator and Assistant SBDC Director. In addition, Mr. Winchester served as VBOC Director and Director of the Rio South Texas Regional PTAC.
Prior to UTRGV, Mr. Winchester was an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer for a non-profit working in housing and economic development. Mr. Winchester has also worked for several insurance companies and was exposed to complex litigation, risk management, and underwriting. Mr. Winchester has also worked for the State of Connecticut Attorney General’s Office as well as U.S. Navy Submarine Force.
Mr. Winchester holds an AS, BBS, and MBA from the University of Connecticut at Storrs. His expertise is in Finance and Information Technology.
www.sba.gov/tx/houston
SBA Resources Every Small Business Should Know
Wanting to start or grow your small business? SBA can help! Join SBA Houston Deputy District Director Mark Winchester to learn about the 4 main areas of service that the SBA provides to small businesses including information on the SBA Houston resource partners, lending programs and the SBA federal certifications. Session will include Q&A.