Business development, government contracting, proposal manager

CONCHIE FERNÁNDEZ

Miami, FL • Remote/Hybrid • ********@**.*** • 786-***-**** • LinkedIn

Bilingual: English & Spanish

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

National award-winning business development, economic-mobility, and communications leader with a 15-year track record designing and scaling high-impact federal, state, and international programs that strengthen small and minority-owned businesses. Recognized by The White House, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Vice President Kamala Harris for contributions to national economic development. Architect of proposals and technical- assistance programs that have secured over $1B in contracts for SMBs and delivered measurable nationwide outcomes.

SME to the Small Business Administration (SBA), MBDA, U.S. Department of Commerce, USAID, and CLDP, with deep experience leading multicultural teams across the U.S., Latin America, and the Caribbean.

CORE EXPERTISE

Strategic, Business, Thought Leadership, and Programmatic Bilingual (Eng/Span) Marketing and Communications • Technical Assistance Program Design and Communications • Economic Development • Business Growth Strategy • Minority Business Ecosystems • Public-Private Partnerships • Proposal & Grant Writing & Development • Multilingual Outreach • International Trade • Program Architecture & Scaling • Complex Solution Selling

• Executive Communications • Cross-Cultural Leadership PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Public Sector Liaison 34 Strong 2024–2025 Sacramento, CA

• Designed and wrote the proposal that secured a $1.2M solicitation with the Environmental Protection Agency, and a $150K bid with the City of Long Beach, CA.

• Standardized federal, state, and local RFX responses.

• Expanded 34 Strong into international government work (USAID, CLDP). Founding Partner & Strategic Advisor CF Creative 2014–2024

• Wrote and led proposals securing >$1B for SMBs.

• Designed, wrote, and won a contract to manage procurement, operations, and communications for the Small Business Administration–US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Community Navigator Pilot Program ($5M). Impact: recruited 4,900 small businesses to receive business scaling coaching to allow them to request SBA loans and increase their revenue successfully. Provided 24,000+ counseling hours, 147,000+ individual business owners trained, $80M+ in loans approved.

• Marketing impact:

• Wrote, co-produced the videos for select small business owners who participated in the

• Directed MBDA–USHCC CARES Act Program ($100K): 14,127 SMBs served; 4M reached.

• Achieved 303% revenue growth through partnerships, technical assistance programs, and business development and marketing workshops with and for Microsoft, University of Miami UHealth International and International Medicine Institute, The Coca-Cola Company, University of Miami, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), Florida State Minority Supplier Diversity Council, AARP, USAID, the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, Stanford University, and the U. S. Department of Commerce.

• Twice named the nation’s Minority Marketing & Communications Firm of the Year by the United States Department of Commerce (2023, 2017). Partner & COO World Food Connection 2019–2020

• Built export-readiness programs across LATAM & Caribbean.

• Secured multiyear country-brand contracts for Dominican Republic & Saint Lucia.

• Marketed, introduced and sold four lines of organic/vegan wines to Whole Foods Market across Florida.

Director of Business Development SDI International 2013–2015

• Supported $8B procurement firm with global sales strategy and CEO communications.

Director, Business Development LATAM N3 (Accenture) 2010–2013

• Wrote, presented, and won the $16M, 3-year outsourcing contract to build and manage a technical sales operation for Microsoft in Costa Rica, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

• Led a 79-person multicultural team across 6 countries.

• Oversaw HR, hiring, procurement, and government compliance as a foreign entity.

• Managed enterprise, corporate, education, and public-sector account managers, developers, and solution specialists for Microsoft.

• Designed programs generating >$2B in Microsoft partner revenue. Senior Account Manager Microsoft 2007 – 2010

• Led sales, marketing content, and training strategy for Microsoft hardware and Office for Mac across Florida and Latin America, supporting retail and distribution partners

• Served as chief liaison to Microsoft Corporate Business Planning, helping debug and optimize digital business planning systems and content

• Owned regional product forecasting, manufacturing coordination, and sales execution

• Exceeded sales quotas by approximately $3M, delivering 301% year-over-year growth

• Developed bilingual (English/Spanish) sales and marketing content for internal teams and channel partners

• Trained Partner Account Managers to build and execute effective business plans for top Latin American clients

• Designed and coordinated the training curriculum for Dell's call centers in Central America, considered a worldwide best practice replicated in other regions Earlier regional Business Development and Marketing/Comms roles at Microsoft, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, and American Airlines.

EDUCATION

• MBA (In progress), University of Miami–SBA Thrive, Miami, FL

• Executive MBA, Business Administration and Scaling Business Ventures, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Palo Alto, CA

• Technical Degree, Creative Writing, The New School (Parsons School of Design), New York, NY

• B.A., Art History and Liberal Arts, Universidad Iberoamericana AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Guest Speaker, White House Small Business Briefing (2024) • Hispanic Entrepreneur Recognition at the residence of VP Kamala Harris (2022) • MBDA Marketing & Communications Firm of the Year (2017, 2023) • Al Día Woman of Merit (2021) AFFILIATIONS

Board Member, Small Business for America’s Future • White House Latino Stakeholder Council • Member, United States and Florida Hispanic Chambers of Commerce • Board Member, First Coast Hispanic Chamber • Subject Matter Expert, Public-Private Strategies Institute and the Small Business Roundtable

MEDIA & SPEAKING OPPORTUNITIES

CBS • NPR/WLRN • Univisión • People (Magazine) en Español Live and Virtual Business Expert Series • USAID • CLDP • The Coca-Cola Company • AARP • NMSDC • SCORE • Walt Disney World

Contact this candidate