Kansas SBDC
Regional Director
Director
Capital Access Center
Susie Pryor
MBA, MNLM, PhD
lpryor5@jccc.edu
913-469-3920
Susie Pryor joined the staff of the Kansas Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) at JCCC as Regional Director in 2024, following several years at the KSBDC’s state office in Topeka, where she served as Associate State Director. In that role, she was responsible for staff and grant management and financial and budgetary reporting. Susie previously served the Kansas SBDC as a business consultant covering Geary, Riley, and Pottawatomie counties.
Over the past 30 years, Susie has launched ten successful small businesses including retail, advertising, property development, and agricultural ventures. She worked concurrently in higher education, focusing on entrepreneurship education and assisting with the startup of entrepreneurship centers from Iowa to Southern California.
Susie earned a Bachelor of Business with an emphasis in Human Relations and an MBA from MidAmerican Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas, a Master of Nonprofit Leadership and Management from Arizona State University, and a PhD in Business with an emphasis in marketing from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research has been published in academic journals including the Journal of Small Business Management, the International Journal of Retailing & Distribution Management, the Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Personal Selling & Sales Management, and the Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, among others. Susie and her two cattle dogs make their home in Wyandotte County, Kansas, where they enjoy the vibrant small business culture.
Vincent Haworth
Director, Capital Access Center
haworth@ksbdc.net
913-469-2833
Vince is an accomplished banking professional with 21 years of experience at the staff and branch management levels; oversight skills and experiences in all daily operations of the bank with focused skills in the areas of business development, commercial and SBA small business lending, training, and team development.
Specialties include: Business solutions for every size company including SBA and Conventional lending, business accounts, merchant processing, and business continuity planning.
Business Advisors
John Addessi
MBA, CGBP
jaddessi@jccc.edu
913-469-3922
John Addessi is a Business Advisor, adjunct instructor and Certified Global Business Professional with the Kansas Small Business Development Center at Johnson County Community College. John teaches seminars and consults on topics such as financing, business plans, marketing, international trade, e-commerce and more.
Prior to joining the Kansas SBDC at JCCC, John was a consultant with the Kansas SBDC at Washburn University. John spent 15 years in management in the public and private sectors. He supervised the Language Learning Center at the University of Rhode Island and was sales manager for central Kansas with CellularONE. He received his bachelor’s degree in Russian and his MBA in general management from the University of Rhode Island. John has owned his own e-commerce sites and is familiar with the challenges facing small businesses in a competitive market.
Stephanie Willis
CVGA
slwillis@jccc.edu
913-469-4485
As a consultant for the Kansas Small Business Development Center at JCCC, Stephanie Willis uses her expertise as a seasoned sales, marketing and management leader to assist business owners. She has the unique ability to merge her corporate career as VP Sales and Marketing with her experience of purchasing, running and selling two of her own businesses. She brings broad industry experience as well as insight into hiring, compensating and motivating employees. Having spent time on corporate boards and executive committees, she also fully understands the budgeting and financial influences within an organization. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Kansas and an MBA from Rockhurst University. She is also a NASBITE Certified Global Business Professional.
Darren Fichtner
MBA
dfichtne@jccc.edu
913-469-2464
Darren Fichtner has been on both sides of small business, both as an owner and operator of his own landscaping business and a business operations manager, as well as a secondary business educator. With over 20 years of experience working directly in the business field Darren has assisted companies reach their full potential, changed the pace of operations with an effort to streamline efficiency, solved complex problems within the workplace, and developed various business strategies to focus on systematic growth.
Darren received a Bachelor of Science from Missouri Southern State University and an MBA from Pittsburg State University. When not working, you can find Darren on the golf course. He is an avid golfer who plays on the Amateur golf tour ranking in the top 5 of his division. He also enjoys woodworking, creating specialty one-of-a-kind pieces.
Program Coordinator
Valerie Reese
ksbdc@jccc.edu
913-469-3878
As the Program Coordinator for the Kansas SBDC at Johnson County Community College, Valerie Reese uses her background in customer service and office administration to assist our clients by getting them to the right resources and making sure that they have the best possible experience when working with our center.
She facilitates our training classes and workshops, organizes Kansas SBDC-sponsored events at the College, and is generally the first point of contact for many of our clients. Throughout her career Valerie has gained experience in a variety of areas, including customer service, technology, course planning and creation, and staff and organizational development, with positions in the retail, medical and musical fields.
The Kansas SBDC at Johnson County Community College is part of a statewide network of 8 regional centers. To find your closest regional office or for the latest COVID-19 and CARES Act information, please visit kansassbdc.net.
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