Heyward Davenport

Former Northeast Regional Director

US Department of Commerce/MBDA

United States

Professional Summary

Heyward B. Davenport, former Northeast Regional Director of the US Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency, is a pioneer in urban development and minority and women’s business development in America. Known by associates as a “Change Agent” when working at the Commerce Department, his work for social improvement dates back to the early days of the civil rights struggle, when he was a senior at Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC, participating in the sit-in demonstrations, organizing boycotts under the slogan “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Eat”, and coordinating with the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., A. Phillip Randolph, and Thurgood Marshall. Davenport would rise from managing Harlem-based community development agencies to becoming a leader in urban development, the fight against poverty, improvement of the delivery of social services and the strengthening of business opportunities for minorities and women, first at the level of New York City government, then New York State, and finally within the U.S. Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency, managing its programs and its entire Northeastern region covering the 14 states from Maine to West Virginia, plus Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Davenport provided leadership and direction for delivering a full range of business assistance services to minority business enterprises through a network of federally funded Business Development Centers. Historically, the focus of the MBDA had been on establishing small minority owned businesses as a way to reduce poverty in minority communities.  That changed when Heyward B. Davenport introduced the concept of a Strategic Growth Initiative (SGI) to MBDA, shifting the focus of the Agency’s resources to growing minority owned businesses to size and scale.  The SGI concept was adopted, as the first major policy change in the Agency’s history, and became the core brand of the Agency. Davenport led several trade missions to China and Taiwan, visiting over 15 cities and meeting with over 200 top government and industry officials to promote business ties between US minority business owners and the business community in China.  Davenport delivered a keynote speech at the China International Fair for Investment and Trade in Xiamen, China in 2009.  Over 40,000 people from countries all over the world attended the CIFIT. Davenport capped his 18 years of service with the federal government by managing the orderly consolidation of all MBDA Northeast Regional Office functions to headquarters in Washington, DC and assumed the role of Senior Program Manager for MBDA nationwide.  Davenport was the formal liaison with members of Congress, Governors, Mayors, and other state and local officials to advocate on behalf of minority owned businesses.  Mr. Davenport served in various executive capacities over the 25 years prior to joining the MBDA, including, Deputy Commissioner, New York State Department of Economic Development, Division of Minority and Women’s Business Development. Davenport established a network of 25 State-funded Entrepreneurial Assistance Centers in selected cities throughout the State of New York, providing training and technical assistance to facilitate new business enterprise development among minorities and women.  This program concept and format has been copied by other states and cities across the country.  He led the effort to establish the first MWBE Certification Program in the State of New York, to authenticate businesses owned by minorities and women.  Davenport served as Commissioner of the New York City Model Cities Administration, overseeing and directing a wide range of federally funded programs aimed at building mode neighborhoods in economically distressed New York City areas of Central Harlem, South Bronx, and Brooklyn. Davenport served as Deputy Commissioner of the New York City Human Resources Administration, an agency with over 23,000 employees, providing a wide variety of social services, income maintenance, and community development programs to needy families and individuals. Davenport serves as Deputy Executive Director of the New York City Department of City Planning, managing all budgetary, personnel, audit and administrative functions of the agency.  Davenport served as Executive Director of the HARYOU-ACT Community Development Corporation in Central Harlem, managing one of the largest community development agencies in the Nation, with over 25 contracted delegate agencies and over 1,000 employees, providing a wide variety of self-help services, including business enterprise development youth academic development, job placement and adult programs, fostering self and community development.  He joined the US Air Force as a teenager, attaining the rank of Technical Sergeant with the Strategic Air Command, and was the recipient of the coveted Airman’s Achievement Award, for outstanding performance above and beyond the call of duty.  Mr. Davenport is now an Independent Consultant and Advisor to the Western Africa Development Organization, and does public speaking/lecturing on Chinese/American trade, and the Changing Face of America. His full profile may be seen at heywarddavenport/linkedIn. (1970 – 2013)   Northeast Regional Director, US Department of Commerce/MBDA  Deputy Commissioner, New York State Department of Economic Development Commissioner, New York City Model Cities Administration Deputy Commissioner, New York City Human Resources Administration Deputy Executive Director, New York City Department of City Planning Executive Director, HARYOU-ACT Community Development Corporation (Harlem)

Skills

Specialization

Business Development; Psychology; Business Analysis; Human Resources; Employee Management; Strategic Business Marketing