Over the past several years, Corinne Goble (CEO) has had the honor of leading the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) through a period of significant growth and meaningful progress. Among the milestones she is most proud of is the expansion of the national Women’s Business Center (WBC) network, which now spans all 50 states. This ensures that more women, regardless of their location, can access the essential tools and support needed for their success in entrepreneurship.
Under Corinne’s leadership, the AWBC team has expanded to four full-time staff members and has successfully distributed over $1 million in funding to Women’s Business Centers. This investment supports local innovation, capacity building, and crucial service delivery. Furthermore, she has cultivated a strong foundation of volunteer leadership, including a dedicated Board of Directors and member-led committees focused on key areas like advocacy, membership, and fundraising.
A Legacy of Empowerment
Corinne Goble’s professional journey began in the trucking industry, inspired by her determined mother, who turned a small delivery operation into a successful company in Western Michigan. Originally started by Corinne’s father, the business was taken over and expanded by her mother after their divorce. Following 9/11, Corinne left graduate school and joined the family business, working her way through every role and developing key financial and management skills. She eventually led a major technological transformation that increased profitability, solidifying her confidence and leadership within the company.
A Diverse Career Forged by Family, Grit, and Vision
After the family business merged with a larger carrier, Corinne Goble moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where she began working with credit unions. She focused on helping smaller, struggling institutions transition into community-serving organizations, sparking her passion for visionary thinking and strategic planning. Her success led to a promotion in a for-profit division, where she managed a marketing agency, pitched major campaigns, and worked with top advertising talent and celebrities.
Driven by her entrepreneurial spirit, Corinne launched her own branding and PR agency near Auburn, Alabama. Although the local market was too limited, her work caught the attention of Kia Georgia, which offered her a role leading internal and external communications. At the same time, she sold her agency, achieving the classic entrepreneurial milestone of building and exiting a business.
Corinne spent the next decade with Kia, gaining deep experience in Korean business culture, automotive quality, and community engagement. She also took on leadership roles in education and workforce development, serving on various boards and working closely with state and national government affairs teams.
The Unconventional Path of Corinne Goble
Corinne Goble credits her growth at Kia Motors to the support of teams across Georgia, Washington, D.C., California, and Korea. As the lead for VIP factory visits, she discovered her passion and talent for public speaking, delivering impactful presentations on Kia’s economic influence in Georgia.
In 2019, she joined the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC), an organization previously unknown to her, with a mission to expand its national network and raise awareness of its critical role in supporting women entrepreneurs. Now based in Louisville, Kentucky, with her two children, Corinne spends much of her time in Washington, D.C., and traveling nationwide. She proudly leads AWBC, committed to empowering women through access to resources, innovation, and opportunity.
The Mission of the AWBC
The Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) is a national nonprofit committed to bolstering and maintaining a robust network of over 150 Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) across the United States. Established in 1998, ten years after the first WBCs emerged in 1988, the AWBC’s mission has always been unequivocal: to secure economic opportunity and champion entrepreneurship for women. The most effective way to achieve this is by supporting and sustaining this crucial national network.
The AWBC focuses on three core mission-critical areas to achieve its goals:
- Training and Mentorship: The organization is dedicated to training and mentoring WBC leaders, enabling them to expand their organizational capacity and enhance their overall effectiveness.
- Advocacy: AWBC actively advocates on behalf of Women’s Business Centers. This involves ensuring that elected officials and key stakeholders recognize and support the significant and growing contribution of women-owned businesses to the economy. A crucial part of this advocacy is securing sustained federal funding for this vital network.
- SBA Collaboration: AWBC works closely with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to refine processes and procedures. This collaboration aims to strengthen the government-backed program and simplify operations for WBCs, making it “easier” for them to operate.
These centers provide essential support in 38 languages, reaching entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, including many who have historically encountered barriers to business ownership. Through AWBC’s concerted efforts, the organization is not only expanding access to vital capital, training, and mentorship but also contributing to the creation of stronger local economies by empowering the women at their core.
Corinne Goble’s Milestones at AWBC
Another proud achievement for Corinne was AWBC’s successful advocacy for the passage of the Women’s Business Center Improvement Act of 2023. This landmark legislation modernized and strengthened the SBA’s WBC program, marking a major step forward in ensuring that Women’s Business Centers possess the necessary resources and structure to effectively serve today’s entrepreneurs.
These significant milestones reflect AWBC’s transformation into a stronger, more agile organization, well-prepared to meet the increasing demand for entrepreneurial support across the nation.
Revolutionizing Capital Access for Women Entrepreneurs
A key priority for Corinne Goble and the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) is improving access to capital, a major barrier that disproportionately affects women entrepreneurs. Understanding the importance of financial readiness, Corinne and her team focus on helping women navigate and prepare for funding opportunities.
To advance this mission, AWBC launched the HOPE2Women Funding Center, an initiative aimed at directly supporting small business owners while strengthening the efforts of local Women’s Business Centers. HOPE2Women serves as AWBC’s business-facing arm, working to close the gap between entrepreneurial preparedness and access to essential funding.
Bridging the Funding Gap
At the HOPE2Women Funding Center, entrepreneurs have access to a range of valuable resources, including business plan templates, free one-on-one coaching, and live or recorded educational sessions. A key feature is the Capital Access Questionnaire, a quick two-minute tool that assesses where a founder is in their funding journey. Based on the results, users receive tailored guidance—whether it’s refining financial documents with a coach or connecting directly with a lender.
Corinne Goble emphasizes that no entrepreneur should delay seeking funding. Whether launching or scaling a business, the center’s tools are designed to empower founders to confidently take their next step without facing the funding process alone.
Partnership Strategy for Women in Business
Under Corinne Goble’s leadership, the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) is actively seeking new partnerships to enhance the offerings of Women’s Business Centers (WBCs). Corinne recognizes that AWBC makes an excellent partner for large corporations providing products or services that fundamentally support business growth. These collaborations allow AWBC to effectively position valuable resources with the hundreds of thousands of founders they serve and support through the HOPE2Women Funding Center and the broader WBC Network. This relationship, she notes, holds tremendous market value for the right partners.
Furthermore, for the HOPE2Women initiative specifically, Corinne and her team are diligently building out more lender and investment capital partnerships. They anticipate launching a crowdfunding partnership soon and are continuously exploring more non-traditional avenues to expand their offerings. The aim is to strategically and genuinely support small business growth through diverse and innovative funding solutions.
Creating Space, Sparking Change
Corinne Goble recognizes that one of the biggest challenges for women entrepreneurs is simply finding the right support at the right time. From mentorship and funding to licensing and basic guidance, many women lack a clear path forward—even though resources do exist. This is where the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) and its nationwide network of Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) play a vital role.
Corinne describes WBCs as the essential “first door to open,” providing local, trusted, and often free or low-cost support—from business planning and registration to loan preparation and moral encouragement. At AWBC, her focus is on increasing awareness of these centers and strengthening their impact, with the ultimate goal of ensuring no woman entrepreneur has to navigate the journey alone.
The Power of Purpose-Driven Leadership at AWBC
Staying motivated is clearly not a problem for Corinne Goble or her incredible team at the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC). Their driving force is a profound passion for finding solutions for their community of founders. Whether it involves transforming a lender’s “no” into a “yes” or helping a rural entrepreneur discover a new market opportunity, they are emboldened by every challenge that arises. Corinne and her team stand ready to overcome barriers, both new and old, in support of every business striving for a fighting chance to generate wealth and prosperity, just as her mother did for her and her sisters.
The Impact of Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) in 2024
- 340,000 Jobs Supported: In just one year, WBCs helped sustain 340,000 jobs across the U.S.
- $16 Billion in Wages: That’s $16 billion in wages fueled by WBC-supported businesses.
- $6 in Revenue: For every $1 of taxpayer investment, new businesses generate $6 in revenue
- $7.50 in Private Capital: Each $1 of public funding helps leverage $7.50 in private investment
- $15 in Economic Activity: That combined investment sparks $15 in overall economic impact
- These figures underscore the profound economic and social impact driven by Corinne Goble’s leadership and the dedication of the AWBC network.
Fueling Economic Opportunity
Being named one of ‘The Most Influential Women to Watch in America’ is a great honor and a powerful reminder of Corinne Goble’s leadership responsibilities. It affirms years of hard work and fuels her drive to create greater impact for the many women entrepreneurs she supports.
Professionally, this recognition highlights the vital work of the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) and the essential role Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) play in expanding economic opportunities nationwide. For Corinne, it strengthens her commitment to championing women entrepreneurs and growing the networks that empower them. This accolade inspires her to keep innovating and broadening access to resources for women business owners everywhere.
Women at Helm
AWBC Leadership by Corinne Goble
- 150+ Women’s Business Centers nationwide
- 95% of centers led by women — empowering women as entrepreneurs & leaders
HOPE2Women Initiative (Since 2023)
- 534 direct requests for business support
- Personalized guidance & local connections
Impact Over 3 Years
- Women’s Business Centers supported 270,000+ small business owners
- Delivered one-on-one coaching, training, capital access & networking
Dismantling Barriers
Corinne Goble’s vision for the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC) focuses on breaking down barriers for women entrepreneurs and the organizations that support them. Over the coming years, AWBC plans to expand its network by including a broader range of organizations beyond the traditional government-funded model. This effort aims to create a more inclusive and representative entrepreneurial ecosystem that mirrors the diverse support systems active in communities nationwide. For Corinne, expanding the network is about more than growth—it’s about increasing visibility, fostering collaboration, and amplifying the collective voice of women-led businesses.
Quantifying the Impact of AWBC’s Empowerment Initiatives
- In just 3 years, AWBC distributed $1M+ to Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) across the U.S.
- In 2024 4,500+ small businesses joined advocacy efforts
AWBC delivered over 115 hours of:
- Training sessions
- Peer collaboration
- Knowledge sharing with WBCs, partners & entrepreneurs
AWBC scaled its impact through:
- Targeted digital initiatives
- Educational webinars
- Community-building programs
Corinne Goble’s leadership continues to:
- Strengthen the WBC network
- Broaden national reach
- Empower thousands of women entrepreneurs
Elevating Impact Through Standards and Research
As the AWBC network expands, Corinne Goble stresses the importance of maintaining high-quality, accountable service delivery across all member organizations. Rather than standardizing programs, she advocates for shared standards based on research-backed practices and consistent impact reporting to ensure every entrepreneur receives a clear, evidence-based path to success. Recognizing the lack of research on effective support for women entrepreneurs, Corinne is committed to investing in rigorous applied research to identify proven solutions tailored to women-led businesses. This focus on data-driven practices aims to create scalable, repeatable, and impactful outcomes throughout the AWBC network.
Dear Entrepreneurs,
My key advice for for-profit founders: be bold early and seek funding before your bootstrap money runs out. Many who’ve grown to seven figures regret waiting too long to take risks. A common mistake is using all personal funds and then seeking loans without proving cash flow. Borrow strategically—even if you don’t need it all.
For non-profit leaders, think like a for-profit: if you charged for your services, who would pay and how much? Viewing your mission this way helps unlock new revenue and build sustainability—especially vital for those relying on government funds.
Be bold, plan smart, and focus on growth.
Best Regards,
Corinne Goble
CEO, Association of Women’s Business Centers
