With a career that spans more than 25 years in public service and advocacy for small business, Mary Lynn Wilkerson has transformed the LSBDC into the premier service provider of small business assistance in Louisiana.

As State Director, Mary Lynn is responsible for directing, managing, promoting, and evaluating LSBDC services to improve service delivery and impact.

Starting as a part-time consultant, Mary Lynn and her leadership team has catapulted the LSBDC to a results-driven organization. Since her appointment in 2001, the LSBDC has helped Louisiana's small businesses and entrepreneurs start 1,293 businesses, save and retain 14,366 jobs, secure $630 million in capital, and increase sales by $691 million.

Under Mary Lynn's direction, the LSBDC has also become Louisiana's "go-to" organization for small business disaster response. She led the LSBDC's vast recovery efforts following four major hurricanes and the oil spill. Since 2005, the LSBDC has helped more than 3,000 businesses impacted by disaster. In continuing its efforts, the LSBDC launched Ready for Anything, a program that aims to help small businesses anticipate and mitigate the impact of business interruption.

Prior to her appointment as State Director, Mary Lynn served as Assistant Director for four years and eleven years as Center Director for the LSBDC at Northwestern State University. Before joining the LSBDC, Mary Lynn was a commercial loan officer and an adjunct professor at Northwestern State University.

Mary Lynn is actively involved in the national Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC). She is the chair of the ASBDC Disaster Interest Group and serves on the Accreditation Committee. Mary Lynn is also a former vice chair of the ASBDC Board. In addition to her work with the ASBDC, her civic involvement has included serving on the Small Business Entrepreneurship Commission, Louisiana Small Business Task Force, and Cane River Heritage Area Board.

Mary Lynn has a MBA from Northwestern State University. She is also a graduate of Louisiana Leadership and the Economic Development Institute.

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Violet L. Liner, CPA is the Associate State Director for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. Prior to joining the LSBDC in 2002, Violet owned a CPA firm, served as the Technology Director at Henry A. Little, CPA, Staff Accountant at Luffey, Little & CO., CPA, and Controller at Sam Marrs Equipment Rental.

Violet oversees all budgetary, contractual, and financial management matters of the program, providing training and guidance to center directors and financial personnel while maintaining responsibility of all grant activity, and involvement in policy issues and resource allocation.

Violet has received many awards including Outstanding Graduate in the College of Business Administration, Outstanding Quotarian, A. O. Evans Award, and the J. H. "Slim" Scogin Exemplary Award. As a active member in the community, Violet is a member of the District Export Council, ULM Athletic Scholarship Foundation, West Monroe-West Ouachita Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Chapter of the Society of Louisiana CPA's, Society of Louisiana CPA's, Quota International of both Monroe and West Monroe, LA, Board Commissioners, Hospital Service District #1 in Ouachita Parish, Monroe-West Monroe Public Trust Financing Authority, United Way of Northeast Louisiana, and the ULM Alumni Association

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Barry W. Parker is the Project Director for LSBDC Business Continuity program. He has over 25 years of diversified professional experience in areas of technology, risk, and operations management serving in roles ranging from a private consultant to small business to the National Business Continuity Manager for a multi-national banking firm.

Barry chairs the Disaster Interest Group for the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) and has presented several times at the ASBDC national conference on topics related to small business emergency preparedness. Following Hurricane Katrina, he established the LSBDC emergency response call center in support of the statewide recovery efforts. He has developed training materials and instructional programs for the LSBDC related to emergency preparedness and response.

Barry completed his BBA in Data Processing from Northeast Louisiana University, his MBA from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and is engaged in his doctoral studies at Louisiana Tech University.

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Na'Tisha Natt manages the statewide marketing and communications activities of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. She is responsible for brand management, print production, media relations, and online marketing efforts. Additionally, she is a member of the national Association of Small Business Development Centers' Communications & Marketing Committee.

Prior to joining the LSBDC, Na'Tisha was the Marketing Analyst for OMNI BANK in Greater New Orleans, where she managed all digital marketing efforts including creative enhancements to company websites, digital signage, and customer relationship management and interactive voice management systems.

Na'Tisha, a native of Monroe, LA, holds a MA in mass communications and a BS in marketing from Southern University A&M College.

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Virendra Chhikara is a Business Consultant with LSBDC at University of Louisiana Monroe. He earned his MBA from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 2009. Prior to that he completed his MS in Industrial/Analytical Chemistry in 2003 from India. While attaining his MBA, he worked as a graduate assistant for the LSBDC at ULM and was hired following his completion. Virendra has expertise in strategic planning, financial planning, market research, business development, International trade, and analytical research and development.  

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Tiffany Franklin serves as the Grants Accountant for the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. With more than five years of accounting experience, she has successfully managed the financial activities of businesses in both the private and public sectors. As the Grants Accountant, Tiffany oversees budgetary, contractual, and financial matters of the LSBDC network.

Tiffany’s professional experience includes business and financial management, human resource management, public relations and communications. She holds a Masters in Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communications from the University of Louisiana at Monroe.  Tiffany is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Business Consulting. 

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