Huston Pullen named director of UNF small business center | Jax Daily Record | Jacksonville Daily Record

The Florida Small Business Development Center Network and the University of North Florida announced Huston Pullen as the regional director of the Florida SBDC at UNF.

Pullen succeeds Janice Donaldson, who retired after 39 years with the Florida SBDC at UNF.

A university news release says Pullen will provide strategic direction and oversight of consulting, training and research activities within the center’s 18-county service area in Northeast Florida.

“We are very pleased to welcome Huston to the University of North Florida. He brings a wealth of experience in program management, economic and workforce development and strategic communications,” said Richard Buttimer, UNF Coggin College of Business dean, in the release.

“Huston is superbly equipped to lead the Florida SBDC at UNF in a way that honors Janice’s legacy while building upon it as the region looks ahead to its next chapter,” said Cheryl Kirby, interim CEO of the Florida SBDC Network.

Pullen said in the release that he has “always admired the Florida SBDC’s mission and its success in transforming the lives of small business owners across the state.”

He previously was chief of the Energy Workforce Division for the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity in the U.S. Department of Energy. In that role, he provided oversight of minority workforce development and entrepreneurial development programming.

The Florida SBDC at UNF is a member of the Florida SBDC Network, a statewide initiative with more than 40 offices and 250 employees that serve thousands of small business owners annually. 

Headquartered at the University of West Florida in Pensacola, the Florida SBDC Network partners with Florida’s state universities, colleges, and other economic development organizations to assist small and medium-size businesses through all stages of business.

 “I look forward to working with the Florida SBDC at UNF team, UNF, our partners and the broader community as we continue our important work to help small businesses recover from the impacts of COVID-19,” Pullen said in the release.