Bethany Hartley

For the past decade, Bethany Hartley has served in leadership roles including director level positions at the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC), a WBENC regional partner organization, in Chicago, and the Family & Children's Center and Boys & Girls Clubs of St. Joseph County in South Bend. Most recently, Bethany served as Deputy Director at RISE | Regional Innovation and Startup Education, where she also facilitated collegiate and high school entrepreneurship programs.

While in Chicago, Bethany held positions that supported building entrepreneurial ecosystems from Main Street businesses to high potential growth startups. Focused on making smart, strategic decisions, Bethany overhauled branding and outreach, elevated targeted messaging, and facilitated trainings to entrepreneurs through the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Accion Chicago’s Samuel Adams Business Coaching Initiative, and WBDC’s entrepreneurial launch series.

During her time at the WBDC, Bethany discovered her passion for supporting the advancement of supplier diversity initiatives, women’s leadership and business ownership, and empowerment of underrepresented individuals including women, people of color, and LGBTQ individuals.