Sharon Evans has over 25 years’ experience in strategic business development, finance, public accounting, and local economic development. As former banker and partner of a CPA and Business Management Firm, Sharon and her team have helped to finance and support the development of thousands of small businesses throughout California.
Under Sharon’s direction, Business Resource Group (BRG) has assisted nearly 17,000 small businesses access $290+ in financing and $185 million in new contracts. Working with major corporations across numerous industries, Sharon has used her expertise to accelerate supplier diversity and small business lending outcomes. She served as an advisor to US Small Busines Administration, served on the National Capital Access Taskforce for the MBDA and was appointed US Secretary Contreras Sweet to the National Advisory Board for the Partnership for Lending in Underserved Areas.
Sharon has worked with financial services sector to develop women and minority lending initiatives, and trained 1,500 bankers and 250 small business development non-profits to expand community development lending across CA. She received statewide recognition for Innovations in Technical Assistance from the 46-bank member lenders’ organization, CEDLI.
With a professional career at national CPA firms, like Grant Thornton (formerly Alexander Grant & Company) and ten years working at the executive level for national financial institutions. Sharon was elevated into Women in Leadership in the Savings and Loan industry and went on to become a leading advocate to expand equitable access to capital for small and diverse firms. Her work was selected as National Model Programs by the Federal Reserve Bank and the US Department of Commerce. She has worked with the USDA, the SBA Office of Capital Access, the Comptroller of Currency, the CA State Treasurer’s Office and LA County’s Community Economic Development Strategy Committee to expand and leverage local investment in small business capital pools.
Ms. Evans is former Chair of the City of LA Minority Business Opportunity Commission, Board Member of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute, the Port of Long Beach EV Infrastructure Planning Committee, Southern California Edison’s Clean Energy Leadership Council, serves on the boards of the CA Black Chamber of Commerce, and Business Federation of Los Angeles (Biz Fed LA), and was former Chair of Investment and International Trade.
Sharon is a Los Angeles native and resides in Encino with her twins, Sydney and Carson.