Angelo State Welcomes New Director of the Small Business Development Center

Angelo State University announced some changes to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) on Wednesday.

According to an ASU press release, longtime director David Erickson has retired and will be replaced by ASU alumnus Dezaray Johnson starting today.

An ASU graduate in 1998, Erickson joined the staff of SBDC in 1999 as a Senior Business Development Specialist and served in this position until his promotion to Director in 2005. As director, he oversaw SBDC’s professional staff and students, as well as delivering business advice and training to small businesses in the 10-county area around San Angelo. He has also taught undergraduate courses at ASU’s Norris-Vincent College of Business (NVCOB), which houses the SBDC.

“Dave has been a stable and influential leader of the SBDC, including a valuable service to the SBDC during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Andrew Tiger, NVCOB Chairman. “In addition, under Dave’s supervision, the SBDC has consistently recruited ASU students, usually business majors, as students and interns. After spending a year at SBDC assisting career counselors, planning learning events, and doing research, students are ready to join the workforce. . SBDC students find great jobs all over the US.”

During his leadership of the SBDC, Erickson also served on the Board of Directors of the Concho Valley Workforce Development Board and the Concho Valley Enterprise Development Center, and on the Economic Development Board of the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce.

At a retirement reception earlier this month, Erickson was presented with a Certificate of Congressional Recognition by US Congressman August Pfluger and State Resolution 162 of the 88th Legislative Session of the Office of State Senator Charles Perry.

New SBDC Director Dezaray Johnson received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from ASU. She has been on the SBDC staff since 2013 as a training coordinator, and in 2017 she added the positions and responsibilities of a business development specialist and program coordinator in 2019.

As a training coordinator, she has led over 80 annual SBDC small business training events, as well as communications and marketing efforts. As a Business Development Specialist, she has assisted small business clients with all aspects of launching and growing. As a program coordinator, she has supervised and mentored ASU students in the graduate teaching assistant program.

“It was a great honor to work with Dave Erickson and I am proud to be appointed Director of the ASU Small Business Development Center,” Johnson said. “I appreciate the investment Dave has made in me and my professional development which has contributed to my success at the center. I am happy to continue his legacy!”

In addition to his duties at the SBDC, Johnson is the elected president of the San Angelo Texas Business Women, Treasurer of the State Council of Texas Business Women, and a member of the San Angelo Youth League, San Angelo Young Professionals, and the San Angelo Leadership. Alumni Association.

“Another example of Dave Erickson’s leadership is succession planning,” Tiger said. “He gave stakeholders the opportunity to become leaders in the SBDC. When we were looking for a new director of the SBDC, the best candidate to date was Dezaray Johnson. We are very fortunate to have her as our director and I am excited to work with her in the future.”

Johnson is a Certified Business Consultant IV and a Certified Training Specialist. She has been named to the US SBDC Top 40 Young Professionals Under 40, the San Angelo Top 20 Under 40s list by the Chamber of Commerce, and the ASU Norris-Vincent College of Business Excellence List.