Brian Gurski Regional Director, Small Business Development Center LaGuardia Community College/ CUNY
Brian Gurski has led economic development programs at LaGuardia Community College since 2005.  At the SBDC, Brian supports the Center’s team of Business Advisors, as well as the development of educational programs for New York businesses in diverse communities and industries in English, Spanish, and Chinese. In 2007, his leadership in international trade promotion initiatives resulted in the U.S. Commercial Service Export Assistance Award for the LaGuardia SBDC. Brian’s experience prior to LaGuardia includes work in the U.S. and abroad primarily in the field of microfinance as well as in financial and entrepreneurship education. Brian holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Lewis & Clark College.

Freda L. Thomas, Business Advisor, Certified Business Advisor, MBA -Freda brings to the SBDC several years of experience in business and economic development, working as a project director and workshop facilitator for organizations such as the New York Association of New Americans, (NYANA), the Business Outreach Center of New York, (BOC), and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, (UMEZ). Additionally, for ten years, Freda owned her own business – a greeting card distributorship, with office space on the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Her company created and distributed 500,000 greeting cards throughout the U.S. and abroad. Her products were featured in Black Enterprise, and Essence magazines, Crain’s New York Business, New York Daily News, and various industry publications. In 1997, Freda was named, “Entrepreneur of the Year” by York College’s Small Business Development Center. While at UMEZ, Freda developed and implemented a series of 24 workshops covering day-to-day operations, marketing and promotion, legal structures, as well as how to write an executive summary for a business plan. She holds a B.S. in Sociology and an MBA from the Zicklin School of Business – Baruch College, with a specialization in International Business.

Rui Wang, Business Advisor, Certified Business Advisor

Rui comes to the SBDC with multiple small business management experiences predominantly in international trade. Prior to joining the SBDC, she was a key account manager and production coordinator for a N.Y based manufacturing company. She was in charge of $2.5 million of direct imports from China for companies including Home Depot, Lowe’s, Sherwin Williams and Wal-mart. She also managed $1.5 million of finished goods imports from China to the U.S. and Germany. Rui also has three years experience working in small business accounting, concentrating primarily on cost accounting and customer profitability analysis. In 2004, she was a project assistant for a U.S.-China agricultural development program sponsored by the USDA and was honored for her contribution to the program’s success at the Wisconsin Governor’s reception. Ms. Wang received her B.S degree in Public Policy Administration from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and also holds a B.A degree in International Business Management from Han University in the Netherlands.

Robin Wilson, Business Advisor / LaGuardia Financial Literacy Program Coordinator Robin comes to the LaGuardia SBDC and Financial Literacy Program with experience in financial counseling and economic development. Robin spent two years working with ACCION New York/ACCION USA, a domestic microfinance organization. She began as a loan officer and gave technical assistance to businesses and eventually focused more intensively on financial literacy education. Financial literacy counseling took her throughout New York City’s boroughs, working in some of the most economically distraught areas and exposing her to a wide array of problems that people face throughout the city such as over-indebtedness, bankruptcy, judgments, ID theft, investment advice, and improving credit scores. Prior to her counseling at ACCION, she worked in many different areas, such as company rating for investors, tax preparing, debt analysis, and working as an ESL teacher for the Peace Corps in China. She received a B.A. in Communications from Emerson College, and an M.S. in International Business and Economic Development at NYU. Her experience in the Peace Corps and other travels gave her a love for languages and cultures. She is strongest in Spanish through her extensive work with diverse Hispanic populations in New York and next in Chinese from her year working in rural China.

Ba-Hesya Harris, Office ManagerBa-Hesya Harris Office Manager Ba-Hesya Harris is the Office Manager of the Small Business Development Center at LaGuardia Community College. She supports the administrative and clerical operations of the Center as well as assists the Center’s Business Advisors by handling client scheduling and initial needs assessments. With 9 years experience at LaGuardia, Ba-Hesya also plays a key role in supporting the SBDC’s programs and activities conducted in collaboration with the greater College Community. Her goal is to provide excellent customer service and to ensure the privacy and care of each client. After all, she is the friendly voice clients speak with when making an appointment and the first person who greets them when they enter the Center. Ms. Harris studied at LaGuardia Community College. And, inspired by the Center’s entrepreneurial clients, Ba-Hesya studied with the Mortuary Science program and currently is enrolled at the American Academy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service in preparation for one day running her own business.