- Mission [1]
- The Houston District Advisory Council (HDAC) ensures that advice rendered to the executive branch by the various advisory
committees, tasks forces, boards and commissions formed over the years by Congress and the President, be both objective and
accessible to the public. Since 1992, Houston District Advisory Council committee has given advice on SBA programs and small
business issues. Based on the National Advisory Council concept, the HDA provides an essential connection between SBA, program
participants, and the small business community – as an essential link to local businesses, commercial and economic development.
The current charter for the HDAC is dated January 4, 2010. Our members are selected from the private sector and include representatives
of local industries such as retail, manufacturing, and financial services sectors. Members also include representatives from
academia, the media, and appropriate federal, state, and local agencies. HDAC has two meetings a year. Members serve for two
(2) years, unless removed; and District Director (DD) approves renewal for a second term. The District Director reviews nominations
and, with the concurrence of the Regional Administrator, tentatively selects the nominees for membership. Next, the DD notifies
each nominee of tentative selection and sends each forms requesting information, then to be returned. Upon receipt of the
requested information, the DD reviews the nominee's paperwork for any trigger of conflict of interest or the appearance of
conflict of interest. The selections are then forwarded through the Regional Administrator for consideration by the Administrator
or her designee for approval. Since the agency emphasis on marketing and outreach, the HDAC provides SBA with access to a
broader industry spectrum, the corresponding opportunity to exchange ideas and information on issues pertinent to the small
business community, and also provides an outlet to members to participate in an official capacity of the communication process.
Costs are low, and DFO's additional duty. Our HDAC has also played a key role in the determination of our Small Business Week
awards recipients.
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