AUNDREA Y. WILCOX, Brenau University MBA, is currently the Senior Business Counselor of the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) Kingsport Affiliate Office, and Executive Director of the Kingsport Office of Small Business Development & Entrepreneurship (KOSBE) at the Kingsport Area Chamber of Commerce, Tenn. She has provided technical assistance to over 600 individuals or businesses.

Previously, Aundrea provided expert testimony at a hearing of the Subcommittee on Contracting and Technology of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business in Washington, D.C., and served as a session moderator on “Small Business Incubation” at the 55th Annual Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Economic & Community Development.

In addition to being a full-time business advisor, Aundrea has a long tradition of community service. She currently serves on the Holston Valley Medical Center Board of Directors as a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Performance Improvement Board Oversight Committee; she is a Board Member of the Holston Business Development Center Small Business Incubator; and a member of the Board of Directors of the Northeast Tennessee Regional Entrepreneurial Accelerator.

Most recently, she has received the following awards/recognition: 2011 Women of Excellence (Pi Omega Omega Chapter Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority); 2011 Caped Crusader (Kingsport Office of Small Business Development & Entrepreneurship); and 2009 Women in Business Champion Award (Tennessee District Office U.S. Small Business Administration).

Aundrea Y. Wilcox is also the author of the new book, Startup Savvy: Strategies for Optimizing Small Business Survival and Success. To connect with Aundrea, follow her on Twitter @StartupSavvy, and Like her Facebook Author Page, StartupSavvy. Visit startupsavvy.biz for more insights and tips about small business ownership and management.