Eric S. Bonaparte brings years of experience in local, national, and international business development to his current position as Assistant State Director and Metro Atlanta Director for the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC). A recognized expert in his field, Eric Bonaparte has ranked in the top two percent of SBDC consultants since joining the organization in 1991. During his tenure with the SBDC, Eric Bonaparte has played a key role in the creation of various successful programs designed to stimulate economic activity and new business growth. One such project, the Minority Finance Program, has provided $66 million in funding to SBDC clients over a four-year period, helping to create a vast array of new businesses in the Atlanta area. Other programs Eric Bonaparte had a strong hand in creating include the Governor’s Mentor Protégé Program, the Entrepreneur Development Program, the Latino Business Initiative, the South DeKalb Business Incubator, and the Clark-Atlanta Small Business Development Center. To date, Eric Bonaparte has provided start up assistance to more than 1,200 business owners and facilitated more than 800 training sessions. Eric Bonaparte has also counseled clients on business development issues internationally. Through the SBDC Global Exchange Program, Eric Bonaparte has worked with business owners from such diverse countries as Poland, Gambia, Senegal, and Russia in the development of sound management techniques for strategic business growth. Eric Bonaparte also offered his consulting services to government officials from Trinidad and Tobago who sought expertise on the establishment of business incubators to help spur economic development. Eric Bonaparte’s steadfast dedication to provide his clients with the best business development advice possible has earned him multiple awards. In 1999, Eric Bonaparte was named 1 of the 10 national recipients of the “Star Performer Award” from the Association of Small Business Development Centers. In 2006, Eric Bonaparte received the Walter Barnard Hill Award, the University of Georgia’s highest award for public service and outreach. Eric Bonaparte holds a BS in Marketing, as well as an MBA. Recently, Eric Bonaparte completed his doctoral studies in higher education and education leadership, earning his PhD with distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
