HOPE Ambassadors
Corinne Goble
CEO
Goble joined the Association of Women's Business Centers as CEO in January 2019 and is charged with bringing about enhanced sustainability and increased capacity to the association and its members. When AWBC and the national network of Women's Business Centers were confronted with effects of a global pandemic in early 2020, Goble and the advocacy team sprung into action. While Women's Business Centers responded tirelessly to small business concerns in their communities, Goble and the team championed their efforts to secure resources.
Thankfully, members of Congress foresaw the important role that Women's Business Centers would play in an economic disaster and appropriated record-level emergency funding (CARES Act) to be administered by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA). In addition to $150,000 awarded annually to each Women's Business Center, centers could access up to $420,000 of CARES Act funds giving them access to $570,000 in a single fiscal year. In addition to their own annual fundraising efforts, this unprecedented combination of funding is the highest level of funding than at any other point in history. Women's Business Centers leveraged this infusion of funds into tremendous impact.
Goble and the full AWBC team will remain steadfast in their commitment to the growth and strength of the Women's Business Center network. Her immediate priority is the modernization and re-authorization of the Women's Business Center program while building capacity throughout the growing network of 145 Women's Business Centers.
She was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, attended high school there and studied abroad in Spain where she received a dual Spain-U.S. high school diploma. Having graduated with honors, Hodges earned her BA International Studies from the University of Evansville in Indiana. She attended graduate school in Washington, DC at The George Washington University and has never stopped learning. She enjoys live rides on her Peloton, long runs on the C&O Canal Tow Path and sunny afternoons on her stand-up paddle board.
Jessie Yankee
Vice President of Programs
Jessie Yankee is the Vice President of Programs for the Association of Women's Business Centers, focused on program development, advocacy, and capacity building for Women's Business Centers nationwide. Previously she was the Director of the Missouri Women's Business Center, focused on economic inclusion and access to capital for the historically underserved. Jessie holds a lifelong passion for equitable small business development and entrepreneurship for women, and previously owned and operated an award-winning commercial IT business. Jessie is also a mother of two, Benny (11), and Ella (9).
Jessie grew up in Bethalto, Illinois, and later attended the University of Missouri, majoring in Business Administration. She then completed her MBA at William Woods University.
Jeremy Mertz
Executive Assistant to the CEO
Jeremy joined the AWBC in July of 2022 as the Executive Assistant to the CEO. His earlier career was spent in broadcasting, working at WAVE3 News, the local NBC affiliate in Louisville KY. He held various positions during his 16 year tenure at WAVE, and hopes to carry the skills he learned to the AWBC. He is adjusting to his new life outside of the news industry and looks forward to getting involved in his community in the future.
Jeremy was born and raised in Louisville, KY and now lives in New Albany, IN with his partner/fiance Brendan and his 14 year old son Miles, who is now a freshman at Jeremy's alma mater Holy Cross High School. Jeremy enjoys spending time at the family beach house in Outer Banks NC, reading whatever he can get his hands on and is learning to garden.
Karina Liriano
Director of Education and Engagement
Karina serves The Association of Women’s Business Centers through her combined skills in Communications, Hospitality, and Program Management. She studied International Culture & Communications at The City College of New York, driven by her passion for cultivating resiliency in under-served communities through service leadership; approaching initatives through the lens of various perspectives and data-driven solutions.
Growing up, Karina spent her time between the Dominican Republic and New York City. She enjoys engaging community members through peer support, and program implementation; having achieved the development of a Mindfulness-based resilience strategy offered in New York and Southwest Florida, executed through 40+ free live workshops. In addition, Karina has collaborated with numerous organizations and supporters to deploy 70+ hours of accessible entrepreneurship training to over 5,000 women entrepreneurs, small business owners, and educators.
During her leisure, Karina enjoys camping at national parks, yoga on the beach, and exploring local restaurants.