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Chicago, IL – February 13, 2019 – Hannah Fernandez was appointed First Vice Chair and will become the first woman ever to become SCORE Chicago Chair, effective October 1, 2019.

“SCORE Chicago is fortunate to have a leader of Hannah Fernandez’s caliber to lead our chapter,” said SCORE Chicago Chairman Keith Coleman, the first African-American to become Chair of SCORE in Chicago. “Hannah Fernandez has the right leadership abilities, communication, business acumen, and operational skills to deliver the improved execution, collaboration and teamwork that drive results. Hannah will be a beacon of hope and example to women and minorities who are aspiring to become business leaders.”

As a highly recognized leader in Chicago’s business community, Fernandez has brought together her established relationships to drive SCORE Chicago’s initiative of diversity and inclusion with leading city, state government and nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to the success of women and minority small businesses, including the City of Chicago Business Affairs & Consumer Protection (BACP), the Small Business Administration (SBA), Illinois Small Business Development Corporation (Illinois SBDC), the Greater Southwest Development Corporation (GSDC), World Business Chicago, Accion Chicago, LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC), the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, Eighteenth Street Development Corporation (ESDC), and the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC).

A graduate of the University of Chicago, Fernandez is a visionary with a proven track record of leading organizations and spurring teams into action. Hannah is the Chair of the National Latino Education Institute (NLEI) Business Leadership Council. She serves on the Advisory Collective Council for the Illinois State Comptroller and the City of Chicago Mayoral Business Council.

Having been in SCORE Chicago’s Executive Committee for the past 2 years, Hannah served as the Vice-Chair of Diversity for over a year and 2nd Vice Chair for 6 months before being appointed as Chicago’s First Ever Woman 1st Vice Chair. She has a solid understanding of what the Chicago chapter of SCORE needs to implement and serve growing women and diverse businesses in Chicago’s underserved neighborhoods.

According to SCORE Association’s credo as it pertains to diversity: “Diversity Matters: We believe in the importance, value and power of diversity – diversity of people and diversity of thought. The diversity of race, gender, ethnicity, geography, and experience is important and valuable in SCORE.”

“Diversity and inclusion are not currently reflected in many leadership positions, and women and minorities are still under-represented. We are making history and changing that at SCORE Chicago,” Coleman said.

Fernandez concluded, “The fastest growing business sectors in America are women and minority owned businesses. It is important, now more than ever, that we work together to accelerate efforts in the areas of diversity and inclusion by walking the talk and advocating the advancement of women and minorities to positions of power, leadership, and influence.”

About SCORE Chicago

SCORE Chicago is a chapter of the national SCORE Association, a not-for-profit organization with 320+ chapters and 11,000+ volunteer mentors throughout the United States. SCORE is a resource partner of the Small Business Administration (SBA). You can find information about the national organization at www.score.org

Media Contact
Company Name: SCORE Chicago
Contact Person: Keith Coleman
Email: Send Email
Phone: 312-515-7403
Address:500 W. Madison St. Suite #1150
City: Chicago
State: IL 60661
Country: United States
Website: Chicago.SCORE.org