Pilgrim Talks: Leila Mozaffari

Leila Mozaffari DIRECTOR

Leila Mozaffari is the director of the Orange County Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Since joining Orange County SBDC in 2006, Leila has focused her efforts in bringing increased resources and services to Orange County's vibrant small business community assisting more than 3,000 small business owners and entrepreneurs annually to start new businesses, grow and expand their businesses and enter new markets. Under her leadership, the Orange County SBDC has grown and expanded its services by adding a South County location in partnership with the City of Mission Viejo. Additionally, she was instrumental in launching a new procurement program in Orange County in partnership with the California Department of Transportation.

Leila spearheaded the effort to expand entrepreneurial consulting and training services in the Little Saigon area of Orange County, which is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Vietnam. Orange County SBDC was selected to receive the Wells Fargo Technical Assistance grant of $100,000 to promote the growth of Vietnamese-owned businesses.

She is a big believer in the power of collaboration. Throughout her career, Leila has built private-public partnerships by bringing together diverse groups and organizations and leveraging resources to benefit the business community. Prior to joining the Orange County SBDC, she served as the director of the Southwest Los Angeles County SBDC in El Camino College. During her tenure, she was instrumental in expanding the center's range of services to the business community and forging new community partnerships.

Leila has served as vice president of strategic partnerships for California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC), a non-profit focusing on the manufacturing industry. In that capacity, she secured more than $5 million in annual economic development grants. From 1994 to 1998, she served as CMTC's managing director of field operations and helped the organization establish a stronger regional presence and increase its revenue achieving double digit growth annually. She has extensive experience in the field of management consulting. Whether representing a national consulting firm or as an independent consultant, her advice has been sought by major corporations in a wide range of industries throughout the United States. Leila has taught under graduate level courses at California State University Long Beach, Syracuse University, and Marymount College. She holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. She actively supports women in business and technical fields, and has volunteered for organizations such as Society of Women Engineers, and the Society of Hispanics Professional Engineers.

To see more about the Orange County Small Business Development Center, go toocsbdc.com