Tarsha Hearns Joins Small Business Majority as VP, Entrepreneurship

Small Business Majority (SBM) announced today that Tarsha Hearns is joining SBM as Vice President, Entrepreneurship. Beginning in November, she will direct Small Business Majority's educational programming and resources initiatives, which provide a suite of programs and resources to small business owners to empower them to start and grow their enterprises and maximize their economic prosperity. Additionally, she will work with SBM's Outreach team to implement educational programming in key states.  

As a Texas-based small business advocate, Hearns has many years of experience successfully designing, managing and raising funds for programs that empower women, BIPOC and other entrepreneurs—most recently as Senior Director of Ecosystems at the DEC Network in Dallas, a 501(c)3 organization that helps entrepreneurs launch and grow their ventures—and in her prior position as Executive Director of the Lift Fund DFW Women’s Business Center. 

"The fact that we've seen a historically high 19 million new business filings since 2021 combined with Small Business Majority's increased focus on the needs of entrepreneurs in under-resourced communities makes Tarsha Hearns an essential addition to our team," said Small Business Majority Founder & CEO John Arensmeyer. "We look forward to tapping Tarsha's deep expertise as we seek to further support the smallest businesses and develop essential resources that will help those businesses grow."

Hearns has led various entrepreneurial ecosystem initiatives in the Dallas area, including launching a women's business center, leading the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Community Navigator Program in Dallas, and overseeing entrepreneur center resources. She served on the board of the Association of Women's Business Centers and was a member of the Ecosystem Builders Leadership Project Council.

Recently, she spearheaded the Dallas Capital Access Study, which highlighted significant barriers faced by Black and Latino businesses in Dallas County. From this study, Tarsha revamped the Dallas ecosystem to address the challenges highlighted in the study. She led the formation of the Dallas Collaborative for Capital Access. 

Additionally, Hearns has been an entrepreneur herself for 20 years, a published author, a professor, a podcast host and much more. She has received numerous awards for her entrepreneurial endeavors, her leadership and her dedication to serving women and minority founders.