I lead Economic Development at the City of Houston’s Housing and Community Development Department. Our departmental mission is to promote equity in our City, and my efforts have led to the design and implementation of small business development programming that emphasize access to capital for microenterprises, particularly those owned by women and minorities. This work is a function of my research interests and collaborations, which have traditionally been on a global scale. As such, I value the opportunity to continue cross-national collaboration in hopes of promoting, and contributing, to the establishment of best practices, efficiency, and data-based research methods in this space.