The new year has brought new leadership to the Small Business Development Center at Jamestown Community College. Irene Dobies, long-time Director of the center retired effective December 31 and Courtney Curatolo, PhD is the new Director.
Irene Dobies joined the SBDC in 1986 as a business advisor and in July of 1988 accepted the Director position. Under her leadership, the center grew to its current staff of seven and continues to provide free, confidential business advising services, such as business plan development, start-up assistance, loan application packaging, and strategic marketing planning as well as valuable live and online training to small businesses in Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany Counties. A retirement reception recognizing her 32 years of service was held on campus on December 14 where colleagues and members of the business community had the opportunity to gather and wish Irene well.
Courtney Curatolo’s background includes experience in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors building skills in strategic planning, marketing, leadership training, government affairs, public relations, community outreach, and development and implementation of public -private partnerships. She is a published author on the topics of leadership development, civic engagement, and effective facilitation and sustainability of public - private partnerships.
Curatolo’s professional and community volunteer efforts have also included extensive involvement focusing upon social responsibility, civic engagement project management, leading and managing diverse collaborative initiatives through her work with government entities, educational institutions and local businesses for the purpose of building a foundation for mutually beneficial organizational, economic and community outcomes.
She holds a B.A. in Political Science from American University, an M.A. in Public Administration from Florida Gulf Coast University, and a Ph.D. in Education Research and Methodology with a focus on Adult and Community Educational Leadership from Florida Atlantic University. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Collier, Class of 2007 and Leadership Florida, Class of XXVII. While Curatolo has lived and worked in Florida for the past 25+ years, she was born in Western New York and has always remained a die-hard Buffalo Bills fan.
To contact Courtney, or any of the staff at the Small Business Development Center, call 716-338-1339.