Doctor of Business Administration

Building Resilient
Rural Economies.

Senior Economic Development Manager partnering with governments and universities to deliver $1MM+ loan opportunities and data-driven strategies.

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Darlene Deberry
20+ Years Of expertise in business & economic development.

Strategic Impact Areas

Bridging the gap between $200M+ research budgets and local community implementation.

AI-Enabled Economic Planning

Pioneering the use of AI for small business development. Author of "Artificial Intelligence for Small Business Development" (2024). Helping municipalities forecast trends and design responsive programs.

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SBA 7(a) & Lending

Former Business Solutions Officer. Expert in SBA lending procedures, municipal loan programs, and reducing portfolio defaults (by 12% in year one).

Public Sector Strategy

Managed $78M budgets for academic programs. Design feasibility studies for rural incubators and workforce readiness.

Capacity Building

Coached 100+ businesses annually. Created the "Getting to Yes" workshop for diverse stakeholder alignment.

Speaker & Author

Presenter at 2025 Kenan Institute Conference on Wealth Inequality.

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Career Impact Metrics

$1M+
Loan Opportunities Produced
$200M
Grant Funding Supervised (Research)
12%
Reduction in Loan Defaults
100+
Businesses Coached Annually