Together, we are a community that is committed to Flagstaff’s economic vitality.
My love affair with Flagstaff began in 2015 when I relocated with a former employer to be the director of the Northern Arizona University Campus Bookstore. I was immediately embraced by the Flagstaff community and began to engage with local business owners. I saw a need for more small business/entrepreneurial resources and started D.E.W. Business Solutions to help owners and founders build sustainable businesses. I also fulfilled a long-standing goal and obtained my bachelor’s degree from NAU. Being a Lumberjack brings me great joy, pride and a sense of belonging as strong as my pride in belonging to the greater Flagstaff community.
After leaving the NAU Bookstore, I took on the role of director for the Coconino County Small Business Development Center. During my time with the SBDC, I helped many entrepreneurs and business owners start, grow and sustain their ventures. My role in the organization allowed me to build extraordinary relationships with Coconino County and Coconino Community College, the Economic Collaborative of Northern Arizona (ECoNA), the Greater Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce, NAU and Moonshot at NACET.
From the very first interactions with Scott Hathcock and the team at Moonshot, I knew I had stumbled onto a unique and valuable organization with similar philosophies and goals to enrich Flagstaff’s economic and workforce development. I wanted in! I was brought onto the Moonshot team part-time and was offered a full-time position shortly thereafter. Scott selected me to run the Chandler Innovations Incubator in the Valley, and for three years, I dedicated myself to growing that program and the brand of Chandler Innovations. My time in Chandler was terrific, but I admit I may have had a tiny bit of homesickness. When I had the opportunity to return to Flagstaff and bring everything I’ve learned to the NACET campus, it was an easy choice.
I am now back and excited to continue building upon our long-standing partnership with the City of Flagstaff. I will also be actively re-connecting with all the entities mentioned earlier and, hopefully, many more. NACET’s goals of economic and workforce development have not changed. In fact, as Scott so eloquently stated in the last article, we will include a keen focus on our younger demographic and strive for more entrepreneurial/workforce training engagement with our diverse population.
In keeping with the goal of increased community engagement, the NACET campus will be introducing campus tours for the public and hosting more community-inclusive events. We will share success stories and continue to provide content to educate, motivate and inspire entrepreneurship and personal career growth.
Once again, a heartfelt thank you to the City of Flagstaff and all our Northern Arizona partners. Together, we are a community that is committed to Flagstaff’s economic vitality. I am honored to be a small part of that forward progression. FBN
By Diana White
Diana White serves as the executive director for the Moonshot at NACET Flagstaff campus. Moonshot (www.moonshotaz.com) is a 21-year-old 501(c)3 non-profit. The mission of Moonshot is to assist both entrepreneurs in building and scaling start-ups as well as developing entrepreneurial ecosystems for economic development purposes across Arizona.
