February 29, 2024

MWBE Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship
 Opens at Nassau Community College

Opening Celebration Attended by Elected Officials & Community Partners

Garden City, N.Y. – Nassau Community College’s Garden City campus was filled with excitement for the opening of the college’s Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship on February 8, 2024. The momentous occasion was celebrated by the NCC community, elected officials and community partners. The MWBE Center will work to promote business and educational opportunities for minorities, women, and service-disabled veterans.

“As the local community college, it has been a long-time dream and goal of this institution to provide support for small businesses,” said Dr. Maria Conzatti, Chief Administrative Officer, Nassau Community College. “I am grateful to all of our supporters and look forward to moving the MWBE Center forward and to continuing to grow and serve our surrounding communities.” She added that the college recently received approval from New York State Education Department and the State University of New York for a new certificate and associate’s degree in entrepreneurship. “These new professional academic programs will provide further opportunities and career pathways for individuals who are utilizing the MWBE Center.”

“The opening of the MWBE Center provides an opportunity not only for jobs but for businesses to get in the door with these major projects and the ability to promote growth in our community,” said Waylyn Hobbs Jr., Hempstead Village Mayor. 

“As a female business owner, I know what it is like to not know what you don’t know and then when you do know, how do you implement it? What do you do?” said Theresa Aydelott, Interim Chief Diversity Officer and Assistant Vice President of the Office of Equity, Inclusions and Affirmative Action & Title IX. “The Nassau Community College MWBE Center will be here to answer those questions and help individuals ensure success for their businesses.”

Through on-campus and online instruction, the MWBE Center will provide business readiness workshops, financial assessment, one-to-one coaching sessions, and other services and educational programming. “The entrepreneurial journey is always evolving,” said Rhonda L. Maco, Director of Special Programs in the Office of Equity, Inclusion & Affirmative Action. “The MWBE Center is designed to meet the ever-changing needs of entrepreneurs by providing focused and data-informed instruction that will take MWBEs to the next level in business.” The Center is prepared to assist individuals and small business owners with all levels of entrepreneurial experience.

This new venture is in collaboration with the College’s Office of Equity, Inclusion and Affirmative Action, the Center for Workforce Development, and the Office of Student Professional Development and Employer Services.  

To reach the Center, contact Rhonda Maco, Director of Special Programs in the Office of Equity, Inclusion and Affirmative Action, at rhonda.maco@ncc.edu or 516.572.9826. Visit the Center’s website at ncc.edu/MWBE.

Photo Gallery:   MWBE Opening

About the MWBE Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship  

The MWBE Center for Excellence in Entrepreneurship at Nassau Community College is committed to maximizing contract opportunities for minority/women-owned businesses (MWBEs) and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOBs) by offering certification programs, ongoing continuing education, mentoring, one-to-one instruction, training in business readiness and economic development, and networking opportunities. Our primary goal is to help small businesses become MWBE/SDVOB certified and to assist each business with growth and sustainability. The Center welcomes MWBEs with all levels of entrepreneurial experience. 

About Nassau Community College | State University of New York

Nassau Community College, a campus of the State University of New York, provides a comprehensive public college experience designed to transform lives through higher education. Serving 17,000 full-time, part-time and continuing education students, NCC offers more than 80 programs that lead to the associate’s degree or certificate. Through on-campus and online offerings, the College educates local and international students, and boasts 162,000 alumni. Situated on 225 acres in Garden City, Long Island, the college grounds reside in historic Nassau County, one of the most desirable locations to live in the United States and an epicenter for business and careers. Since 1959, NCC has earned a nationwide reputation for academic excellence, affordability, and ease of transferability to four-year schools.