Awesta Sarkash

Awesta Sarkash leads Small Business Majority's policy and education work across Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. She also supports Small Business Majority's state policy team to ensure the organization's work is cohesive and intentional in order to enact policies at the state level that truly support small businesses. 

Additionally, Awesta leads the organization's policy work on access to capital, criminal justice reform and auto-IRA retirement savings programs by tracking legislative and regulatory developments and serving as a subject-matter expert on these issues. Awesta also serves as the Vice Chair of the Responsible Business Lending Coalition.

Prior to joining Small Business Majority, Awesta served as the Director of Advocacy and Communications at the Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development (CNHED), a nonprofit membership association that supports the community development sector in DC. Before that, Awesta served as the grassroots and advocacy manager for the American Land Title Association. She also served as assistant director for the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies’ Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute at American University and in Brussels for the European Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute.