Teneshia Alston is the Woman-Owned Small Business Advocate and the Small Business Goals Program Manager for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Ms. Alston collaborates with senior officials to create internal small business goals to assure the inclusion of U.S. small businesses in the Agency’s procurement process. Her ongoing efforts to increase contract obligations to U.S. small businesses through the implementation of small business goals resulted in a steady increase from $217.5M in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 to $826.9M in FY 2021. The increase in contract awards provide small businesses with an opportunity to contribute to international development solutions while creating jobs that support the U.S. economy.
Ms. Alston also served as a Senior Advisor to the Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Management. In that role she supported senior leadership’s efforts to fully engage in effectively managing the resources of the bureau which includes recruiting and retaining high quality staff.
Prior to joining USAID Ms. Alston served as the Mentor Protégé Program Manager for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and she served as a contracting and grants official for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. Alston is certified in Corporate Communication and Branding from Cornell University, and she holds a B.A. in Business Law and Public Policy from the University of Maryland.