Irene Hurst

Board Member

Ms. Hurst is the Director, MBA Programs, responsible for the MBA and Executive MBA programs. She has worked for the University of South Florida for over 25 years – previously she was the Director of the Small Business Development Center for eleven years, specializing in Women/Minority Business Development, Start-up, Business Planning, and Leadership. She is passionate about women professionals and business owners in supporting each other, developing a strong network and work-life balance issues. She was a small business columnist for the Maddux Business Report. Ms. Hurst was named “2006 Business Woman on The Year” by Indo-US Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay for her community involvements in general and her contributions to the Asian business community in particular. Ms. Hurst graduated with a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of South Florida. Her current community involvement:

• Board of Directors – Asian American Chambers of Commerce Foundation, Inc. – President
• Board of Directors – USF Federal Credit Union – ALCO and CARE Committees
• Board of Directors – Tampa Bay Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO) – Loan Committee
• Board of Directors – the Minority Enterprise Development Corporation of Tampa Bay – Treasurer
• Small Business of The Year at the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce – Committee member
• Board of Directors – Tampa Bay Innovation Center – Vetting Committee