Joshalyn Hundley, coordinator of the City of Knoxville's Equal Business Opportunity Program (EBOP) and Title VI Program, received the Tennessee 2013 Minority Small Business Champion of the Year Award Wednesday in a ceremony at the City County Building. Walter Perry, Regional Director for the U.S. Small Business Administration, presented the award to Hundley for her outreach to local and regional minority business owners.

Hundley, who has worked for the City of Knoxville since 2006, organized workshops in government contracting and marketing, and chairs the Equal Business Opportunity Advisory Committee, which meets monthly to discuss concerns and opportunities for local minority-owned businesses.

"I to congratulate Joshalyn on this well-deserved award, and thank her for her dedication," Mayor Madeline Rogero said. "Minority and small-business outreach is a priority for the City in all of our contracting and economic development. We still have a lot of work to do to get to where we'd like to be, but this award recognizes those efforts."

Hundley reports to Director of Community Relations Tank Strickland, and works closely with the City's Purchasing Department on efforts to increase City contracting with minority-owned businesses.

"I am grateful for this recognition from one of our important agency partners," Hundley said. "The Small Business Administration plays a vital role in helping us connect business owners with resources that are available to them."

The U.S. Small Business Administration was created in 1953 "to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns." The agency provides loans and loan guarantees to qualifying businesses, as well as counseling on starting and managing a business.