National recognition highlights MWBC’s commitment to impact, innovation, and service
Rockville, Md., – The Maryland Women’s Business Center (MWBC) is honored to be recognized for graduating in the 2026 cohort with the National WBC of Excellence program offered by the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC). This marks the second consecutive year MWBC has earned the National WBC of Excellence designation.
The primary objective of the National Women’s Business Center of Excellence designation is to recognize organizations that demonstrate commitment and efficacy of the mission, vision, and values of their Women’s Business Center thereby achieving the greatest outcomes for women-owned businesses.
“I am beyond proud of our 2026 Women’s Business Center of Excellence graduates! Their hard work, focus, and passion for serving women entrepreneurs shine through in every aspect of their operations,” says Klassi Duncan, AWBC Board Chair and Vice President of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI) at the Urban League of Louisiana. “Their dedication to excellence will continue to uplift and accelerate the success of women-owned businesses nationwide.”
Over the course of six milestone assignments, WBCs partnered with a peer in their cohort to identify gaps and opportunities for the WBC to improve in a variety of areas; including strategic goal-setting, service delivery, continuous improvement and/or peer relationships. In order to fulfill these objectives, AWBC recognizes the value of the organization’s volunteers, leadership team and funders which is reflected in the involvement of these stakeholders in the final stages of the designation attainment.
“MWBC continually evolves to meet the needs of entrepreneurs and incorporate best practices, including maintaining our designation as a WBC of Excellence,” said Karen Sippel, MWBC Managing Director. “This process strengthens how we serve our clients, and this work directly translates to better outcomes for the business owners we support.”
The National WBC of Excellence graduation and closing ceremony took place on December 12, 2025. For more information about MWBC resources, please visit marylandwbc.org.
About Maryland Women’s Business Center
Maryland Women’s Business Center (MWBC) is a signature program of Rockville Economic Development, Inc. MWBC helps entrepreneurs and small business owners across Maryland’s Capital Region start, sustain, and grow their companies. Through workshops, one-on-one counseling, facilitated peer group support, and access to capital, MWBC annually helps over 1,500 entrepreneurs gain the skills, connections, and confidence necessary to navigate entrepreneurship. Learn more at marylandwbc.org.
About The Association of Women’s Business Centers
The Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization founded in 1998 to support the national network of Women’s Business Centers (WBC) with programming and advocacy. The AWBC works to secure economic and entrepreneurial opportunities for women by supporting and sustaining a national network of over 152 Women’s Business Centers (WBC) in every State in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. WBCs have more than 30-years of success in providing educational training, mentoring, free business counseling, business development, and financing opportunities to over 150,000 women entrepreneurs and small businesses each year. The WBC program is a public-private partnership with the U.S. Small Business Administration. To learn more about AWBC visit www.awbc.org.