WASHINGTON, D.C., July 31, 2019 -- As part of its ‘Women in Small Business Roundtable Series,’ NWBC is hosting a roundtable in St. Petersburg, FL on August 6, 2019, with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), NWBC Chair Liz Sara (Founder & President of Best Marketing, LLC), Florida-based NWBC Council Members Monica Stynchula (Founder & CEO of REUNIONCare) and Marygrace Sexton (Founder & CEO of Natalie’s Orchid Island Juices), and local business owners, entrepreneurs, and ecosystem builders.

As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Senator Marco Rubio will discuss current legislation pertaining to women’s business enterprise during a fireside chat with NWBC Council Member Marygrace Sexton.

The roundtable discussion will serve as the springboard for the Council’s policy recommendations to Congress, the President, and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration as they relate to women entrepreneurs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S.T.E.M.). As advocates for the nation’s estimated 12.3 million women-owned businesses, NWBC strives to encourage women to start and grow their businesses in S.T.E.M., an industry with proven high-growth potential.

Women business owners have a tremendous impact on the U.S. economy; however, they continue to be underrepresented in the S.T.E.M. fields. In fact, while women constitute 47% of the overall workforce, they make up just 28% of the science and engineering workforce. With such a low representation of women in the overall S.T.E.M. arena, dismal rates of women’s entrepreneurship in S.T.E.M. come as no surprise. NWBC’s comparison of self-employment rates in S.T.E.M. fields based on 2015 American Community Survey (ACS) data reveals that men are roughly twice as likely to be self-employed in S.T.E.M. fields relative to women.

This year, NWBC is committed to expanding opportunities for women’s business enterprise in S.T.E.M. and this roundtable will help the Council better understand the unique barriers and opportunities for female founders looking to start and grow their businesses in these fields.

If you would like to attend this event, please RSVP to Ashley Judah, Legislative Aide, at Ashley.Judah@sba.gov.

About National Women's Business Council
The National Women's Business Council (NWBC) is a non-partisan federal advisory committee created to serve as an independent source of advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress, and the U.S. Small Business Administration on economic issues of importance to women business owners. To learn more, please visit: www.NWBC.gov