Meet the Team

Virginia SBDC Capital Region | Tatiane Pena

Tatiane Pena

Executive Director

Tati has proudly been with the Capital Region Center since its relaunch in 2020. She began her tenure with us as a Marketing and Operational Specialist where she reinvigorated the brand; leading to over 500 small businesses receiving one-on-one advising and 1,000+ individuals trained in her first year. Tatiane subsequently stepped into roles of Program Manager & Assistant Director before ultimately settling into the role of Executive Director where she has led a team serving 600+ small businesses annually.

Before working with the SBDC, she spent a handful of years in Richmond’s boutique management consulting space and over a decade in the hospitality industry.

A first-generation Richmond native, Tati attended Virginia Commonwealth University where she studied English with a focus on 16th and 17th-century Paleography; namely the works of Elenora Wyatt Finch and John Donne. In her free time, Tati prioritizes pouring back into the city that raised her. She is a lover of stories, people, food, and her dogs. Ultimately, Tati highly values courageousness and care and strives to center joy and intentionality in all that she does.


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Korinn Y. Carter

Business Advisor

Korinn Y. Carter is a mental health professional, George Mason University graduate, community advocate, and award-winning social entrepreneur from the North Side of Richmond, VA with a mission to build businesses and brands that promote positive social change. She has founded, operated, and managed several businesses and organizations simultaneously, and has assisted many new and existing entrepreneurs with theirs. She loves getting to the “why” behind starting your business, creating mission driven brands, and seeing people’s dreams realized.


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Jordan Hanna

Business Advisor

Jordan’s Priority is making people feel seen and heard. With over a decade in the Richmond hospitality scene, a Creative Advertising degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and five years at the helm of local food and beverage incubator, Hatch; she knows what it takes to cultivate community, understand consumers, and build a strategic business.

Her passion lies in creative sales and marketing solutions, intentional planning and goal setting, and open, transparent communication.  As a small business owner herself, Jordan understands how multifaceted the entrepreneurial journey is, and takes immense pride in helping people achieve their goals.


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Cara Glasheen

Financial Advisor

Cara thrives on turning ambiguity into opportunity. With a background in scientific research and business, she creates clear paths for small businesses through strategic financial guidance. Armed with an MBA from William & Mary and an MS in Fisheries Science from the University of Maryland, Cara brings diverse expertise to her work.

At Sandbox, she managed startup finances, from cap tables to monthly bookkeeping, while her Peace Corps service fueled her passion for community development. Cara also volunteers with local a non-profit as youth mentor and serves on several boards, always combining her love for data and making a positive impact.


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Jamee Dion, QuickBooks Pro

Business Advisor

As a lifelong supporter of local and small businesses, Jamee has always been eager to make an impact at the community level. She’s the owner of Balanced Bookkeeping, where her strong attention to detail, clear communication style, and superior organizational skills make sure that small business owners are set up for success. Within SBDC, she works with founders to set up systems and problem solve to help assure financial success in the future. As a QuickBooks ProAdvisor, she can answer any QuickBooks questions you have.


Our Partners

From non-profits to public entities to private companies, the Capital Region SBDC is coming back to the Richmond region due to the generous support of the wider community. We are so grateful to the following partners:

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