Today, May 9th, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced six recipients of the “Boots to Business (B2B) Instructor of the Year” award. Each year, representatives from the SBA and its partner network are honored for their excellence in teaching Boots to Business, the entrepreneurial track of the Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, helping small businesses, often from underserved communities such as veteran-owned small businesses, has been a key priority.

In addition to the Boots to Business program, the SBA has also helped veteran entrepreneurs through critical funding from programs such as the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, our core traditional lending programs, as well as assistance in navigating government contracting opportunities. This year’s winners include:

• Don Jackson, SBA Minnesota District Office
• Tim Craig, Veterans Education Career Transition Resource Center (VECTR) Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) in Warner Robins, GA
• Mary Helen Aldeis, Women’s Business Center in El Paso, TX
• Rafael Reisz, SCORE in Boston, MA
• Jason Nitschke, Great Falls Regional Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in Great Falls, MT
• Todd Bennett, Institute for Veterans and Military Families in Seoul, Korea

“We are proud to recognize the efforts of our Boots to Business instructors, the backbone of our entrepreneurial program,” said Larry Stubblefield, Associate Administrator of the Office of Veterans Business Development. “It is the unwavering dedication and inspiring passion of instructors such as these that has played an integral role in successfully impacting the lives of our service members, veterans, and military spouses through the Boots to Business program.”