Stacy Dukes Rhone

Stacy Rhone, MSCE 93’, has served as Chief Executive Officer of Business Investment Growth Inc. (BiG) for the last decade.  She has forged new diversity, community, and workforce development initiatives where the organization’s award winning Women’s Business Center and Microlending programs have become nationally recognized and often imitated.  She has been instrumental in the execution of some the most comprehensive and innovative community development programs in East Austin. Such as the redevelopment of East 11th Street and the former Robert Mueller Airport site.  On the national level Rhone served as the Vice President for Diversity and Outreach of the National Women’s Political Caucus.  Where she created, and executed national outreach programs and worked with leaders from around the world to advocate for the Rights of the underserved.  A native Austinite and University of Texas Alumni, Rhone has worked with community, government and non-profit leaders and partners to effect change and create opportunities for East Austin and Central Texas underserved population. A fourth generation native Austinite, Rhone earned her Bachelors of Science Degree in Economics from The University of North Texas and her Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering. Selected Chief Executive Officer of Business Investment Growth in 2009, the organization has grown to serve more than 3000 small and minority businesses per year.  Under Rhone’s direction, the organization through its education, technical training, consulting and financial resources has helped generated more than $35 million for central Texas economy. She oversees the Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and Community Development Entity (CDE) certified by the United States Department of Treasury; the Texas Business Opportunity Development Center for Texas Department of Transportation from 2010-2015 (the only provider from 2012-2015) and the only central Texas Small Business Administration Women’s Business Center from 2009 to Present (serving 15 counties). In her current role, she responds to a 9 Members Board of Directors and manages 13 employees. The organization provides oversight of numerous Federal Grants, State, County, City and Private grants and contracts.  Rhone’s leadership has weathered the financial crisis and economic storm and has acquired grants and/or contracts from agencies and major corporations such as: CDFI, SBA, Google, Ebay/Paypal, Hewlett Packard, City of Austin, CMPI, Travis County, Texas Department of Transportation and others. She has developed partnerships with associations and prime contractors in the energy, transportation, healthcare and education sectors to create small businesses, jobs and training opportunities for the underserved and minority community. She has garnered sponsorships from major organization such as Circuit of the Americas (Formula One), Citibank, Frost Bank, Regions Bank, Comerica, Seton Healthcare Family, Ferrovial, CenterPoint Energy, University of Texas, Austin Community College, to name a few. Under Rhone’s leadership was presented the Rising Star Award for Small Business Administration (SBA) lending for 2010-2011 Central Texas Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders, selected by Yahoo! Remake America National Documentary Series to provide small business consulting and advice to businesses and families striving to achieve the American Dream; and in 2011 BiG was awarded the Hewlett Packard (HP) LIFE Training Grant and in 2012 was named the Top Performing HP LIFE Center in the United States. In 2013, BiG was one of six nonprofits in Austin to be chosen as a winner of the eBay Small Business Challenge and in 2014, awarded the Small Business Administration “Women’s Business Center of Excellence” Rhone has implemented the region’s most effective contracting and job opportunity summits in the regions as a part of BiG’s Small Business @ Work Series. Small business at work means putting individuals to work through self-employment (small business ownership) and by small businesses hiring from the local low income community. Beginning with the first summit in 2009 and 2010 for all small business, to specialized summits in November 2012 when BiG offered the BiG HealthCARE Opportunities Summit and then October 2013 the Energy and Transportation economic development summit. In 1989 Rhone was the first African American female hired in the Texas Department of Transportation, Division of Design and Construction. She led the agency Executive Director to, for the first time, participate in diversity events as well as contribute to the local NAACP.  Rhone was instrumental in recruiting key minority and women engineers into the agency.  In 1994, she was hired by the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission (subsequently Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)), as a Policy Analyst in the Water Policy Division and then became a Program Manager.  At TCEQ she wrote the first Technical Manual for Water Conservation and performed "An Analysis of the TNRCC Water Conservation Survey of Industrial/Mining Entities," that was published in Water for Texas: Proceedings of the 24th Water for Texas Conference.  Subsequently, Rhone was selected to serve on the critical Statewide Consensus Based Planning Committee: a committee that oversees an accelerated, stakeholder-driven, scientific and consensus-based process to establish environmental recommendations from which the TCEQ could set statewide standards. After working at the TCEQ, Rhone went into small business and private consulting where she owned three local Austin private enterprises. Highlights of her consulting career, include:Serving as the key consultant on the Martin Luther King Blvd Feasibility Study for Texas Department of Transportation.  She initiated the first ever relationship between TxDOT, a private institution of higher education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Huston-Tillotson University (Formerly College).  As well Rhone was selected as lead consultant for the City of Austin, Austin Police Department, African American Cultural Competency Training (CCT) Program.  A cultural training program that engaged 150 Austin Police Officers and 200 African American leaders and members in cultural issues and norms.  Rhone designed a program specific CCT training program and curriculum to assist with the immediate need for communication between the Austin Police Department (APD) and the African American community. She strategically planned a program that would provide a comfortable, non-confrontational and controlled environment to educate community members and officers about sensitive cultural issues.  Finally, she was subsequently, awarded an additional contract to design and implement the Disadvantaged Business (Enterprise) Opportunity program (DBE program) for the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority. She provided full consulting services to the original Board of Directors on DBE issues and established the guidelines and inter-local agreement for certification of DBE, SBE and MWBE participants for the agency. She designed the original DBE program, which was unanimously adopted by the Board of Directors, that recommended creation of staff and the most fiscally responsible means to manage a DBE program to meet Federal Highway Administration DBE participation guidelines She has served on numerous boards, taskforce and committees as outlined below.  She is most proud of her efforts as a Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Board Member, Secretary. Rhone spearheaded an Urban Mass Transportation Administration, Livable Communities Grant to ignite development along the East 11th street corridor and facilitated the relationship with the City of Austin to spark development in East Austin.  Rhone also served 4 years as the Business and Industry Representative on the City of Austin, Advisory Board and subsequent Reuse Taskforce for the Redevelopment of the 700 acre Robert Mueller Municipal Airport site. Rhone has received numerous awards, recognitions and serves as an expert speaker/presenter for numerous organizations and events such as the National Women’s Political Caucus, the State of Texas Women’s Conference, University of Texas Women in Engineering Day, and much more.  She served as anacting advisor to the Austin Community College – Civil Engineering (ACC-CE) "Women in Green Jobs” campaign.  Most recently, she was a key speaker for the Department of Veteran Affairs, 2017 Women’s History Month.  Rhone is married and a mother of four children.  Her special interests include: diversity, community outreach and engagement, STEM, disadvantage business enterprise development, environmental equity and resource management. Professional Association (Current and Previous) ·         American Public Transportation Assoc., Member (1995 - 1997) ·         American Water Works Association (AWWA), National Committee for Conservation and Reuse, (1998) ·         Abundant Life, Board Member (2000 – 2008) ·         Business Investment Growth Inc. (BiGAUSTIN) (2009-Present) ·         Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Board Member, Secretary (1995-1997) ·         Conference of Minority Transit Officials, Member (1990 - 1992) & (1995 -1997) ·         Family Forward, Board Member (2004-2006) ·         Mickey Leland Internship Program, Board Member and Mentor (1994 -2008) ·         National Women’s Political Caucus (2000 – Present) ·         National Women’s Political Caucus, Vice President of Diversity (2009-2011) ·         National Organization of Women in Transportation (1995 – 2000) ·         National Industrial, Commercial and Institutional Water Conservation Committee, Member (1994-1997) ·         National Council of Negro Women (2004 – 2008) ·         Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Redevelopment Reuse Task Force (1995-1997) ·         Robert Mueller Municipal Airport Redevelopment Advisory Board (1997 - 1999) ·         Texas Alliance for Minorities in Engineering, Board member & Ind. SHADES, Chairman of the Board (1993-1997) 

Economic Empowerment, Education, Diversity, Development and Social Impact