About Us
Our Mission: To help you succeed in business
The mission of the Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is to grow the economy of central Pennsylvania by providing entrepreneurs with the education, information, and tools necessary to build successful businesses.
The SBDC at Penn State was founded in 1997 to meet the needs of entrepreneurs in Centre and Mifflin counties. The Penn State SBDC is one of eighteen Small Business Development Centers in Pennsylvania and is an accredited affiliate of the national network of Small Business Development Centers.
The Penn State SBDC provides free, confidential consulting services to individuals looking to start or grow a small business. In addition, the SBDC offers a full roster of specialized educational programs covering many business topics. From helping aspiring entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses, to helping small firms grow, to providing the information that every businessperson needs to make critical decisions, the SBDC is the resource that entrepreneurs in all industry sectors can turn to for help—help that can make the difference between success and failure!
Our Staff: Prepared to help you
All services are provided by our staff of highly qualified consultants. In addition to practical experience in operating small businesses themselves, our staff members have more than seventy years of business experience and hold degrees in business, communications, engineering, and agriculture. The Penn State SBDC also taps into the expertise of industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, and other business professionals to deliver its educational programs.
Meet Our Staff
Donna Holmes
Director
dah17@psu.edu
Donna Holmes started the Penn State Small Business Development Center in 1997 and is currently its director. Under her guidance, the center has grown from a one-person operation to having ten full- and part-time staff and students working to assist small businesses.
Prior to her current position, Donna was a commercial loan officer and assistant vice president at Mellon Bank. She has more than fourteen years of banking experience in the commercial, mortgage, and consumer areas of lending, as well as experience in management and loan review. In addition to being a Penn State alumna, she is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Bankers Association School of Banking and School of Commercial Lending. Donna has taught classes for the American Bankers Association. In addition to her work experience, she has also owned a small home-based business in Centre County.
Linda Feltman
Senior Business Analyst
lcf8@psu.edu
Linda Feltman has worked with the Penn State SBDC since April 1999. Prior to joining the SBDC staff, she was involved in several small business start-ups over the course of twenty years. She enjoys writing for Pennsylvania Magazine, specializing in bed and breakfasts and profiles of interesting people and places. She is also an adjunct faculty member in Penn State's College of Communications and teaches COMM 493 Entrepreneurship in the Information Age. Linda is a 1976 graduate of Penn State, earning a bachelor's degree in advertising. Although she enjoys living in her adopted state of Pennsylvania, she occasionally visits the Chicago suburb where she grew up, so that she can reconnect with family and friends.
Michael Ryan
Business Analyst
mdr131@psu.edu
Michael Ryan has been a business analyst with the Penn State SBDC since June 2000. He staffs the SBDC's outreach office located at the Penn State Learning Center in Lewistown. In addition to providing free, confidential one-on-one consulting to current or prospective small business owners, he has developed and instructs educational programs and seminars for the SBDC.
Michael specializes in researching accounting and tax issues and prepares detailed financial reports for SBDC clients. He has worked with clients in many different industries, including construction, landscaping, retail, food service, and real estate investment.
Prior to joining the SBDC, Michael worked for a manufacturing company and in the banking industry. He is a Penn State graduate, earning a bachelor's degree in accounting. He has been named one of Pennsylvania Business Central's Top 100 People in Business and served on the planning committee of the Juniata Valley Business Expo 2006.
Heather Fennessey
Environmental Specialist
hxm103@psu.edu
Heather Fennessey, P.E., is a regional environmental specialist with the SBDC and helps people save money and avoid fines. She performs on-site pollution prevention and energy efficiency assessments and assists with regulatory compliance issues in small businesses. Since 2001 she has helped more than 200 small businesses in central Pennsylvania.
Heather has a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Penn State, a professional engineer license in Pennsylvania in environmental engineering, and fourteen years of experience in pollution prevention, energy efficiency, and environmental compliance.
Denise Bechdel
Environmental Specialist
dlf14@psu.edu
Denise Bechdel provides environmental consulting assistance to small businesses in north central Pennsylvania through the Pennsylvania SBDC Environmental Management Assistance Program (EMAP). Specifically, she addresses the environmental consulting needs of SBDC clients at Bucknell, Lock Haven, Penn State, and Scranton, providing information and assistance with regulatory compliance and permitting requirements, waste minimization, pollution prevention, energy efficiency, and implementation of best management practices. Denise educates business owners through workshops, one-on-one consulting assistance, and on-site assessments.
Denise holds an associate degree in environmental technology from the Pennsylvania College of Technology and a bachelor's degree in environmental resource management from Penn State. She brings two years of experience working for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, specializing in waste management, and has been an environmental specialist for the EMAP team for almost six years. Denise is an active member of the National Registry of Environmental Managers and is certified as a hazardous waste operations specialist.
Marnie Deibler
Administrative Assistant and Educational Programming Coordinator
mpr5@psu.edu
Marnie Deibler is the administrative assistant and educational programming coordinator at the Penn State SBDC. At the center she is the first point of contact for educational programs, general information, and referrals to other resources for small business assistance. She has been with the center since 2001 and has been a Penn State employee since 1996.
As the educational programming coordinator for the SBDC, Marnie schedules and coordinates educational programs and works with presenters regarding topics of interest to small business owners. She is also responsible for budget coordination, contracts, financial reporting, and administrative support for the SBDC business consultants and environmental specialists.
Marnie earned her associate degree in business at Penn State while working full-time at the University. Prior to working at the SBDC, she was a staff assistant in the Penn State Department of Sociology, specializing in finance, budgets, and accounting.
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