Full Name
Michelle "G-I" Gardner-Ince, Colonel, USAF, Retired
Job Title
Director
Company
Director, Women Veteran Small Business Initiatives, Department of Veterans Affairs
Speaker Bio
Known by most as "G-I," Ms. Gardner-Ince is a highly decorated Air Force Veteran and a retired Colonel, having served 20+ years supporting Veterans, military troops, and their families. She is an accomplished executive-level leader with experience spanning customer-centric business operations, training, consulting, strategic partnerships, community engagement, and leading award-winning complex $1Billion profit-loss global operations.
Her current position is as Director of the Women Veteran-Owned Small Business Initiative, she is the architect of the first program of its kind in the federal government. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program brings together like-minded female Veteran entrepreneurs to position and enable their success and remove obstacles that often stand in the way in the federal and commercial market. The effort is known in the Veteran and small business community as" VetBizLady." The program has been spotlighted in more than 20 national publications and most recently, the 2022 USA Today Magazine Special Edition on Veterans Affairs. Before her current position, she was the Director, Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE), where she transformed the Veteran certification process and led it to become only one of three Department of VA organizations ISO-9001 certified at the time. The CVE program is known within the supplier diversity and Veteran small business community as VetBiz.gov and is the recognized "Gold Standard" for Veteran Small Business certifications. (CVE is now located at SBA and is known as “VetCert”).
Ms. Gardner-Ince’s personal mission is to be "About the Business of America's Veteran Entrepreneurs – serving those who continue to serve America." She is a dedicated champion of entrepreneurship, focusing on the underserved and socio-economic communities. She empowers entrepreneurs, supports small business owners in their journey to success through strategic engagement, collaborative government, non-profit and commercial partnerships. Ms. "G-I" has a unique perspective in that she has never been without a military ID Card. LinkedIn, the world's largest social media business network, named her one of the "Top Voices" for the Military Veteran Community in 2021. Ms. "G-I" is an inspirational speaker, champion and advocate for Women Veterans and has received numerous awards and recognition for her trailblazing efforts to elevate and enable Women Veteran leaders and entrepreneurs.
She holds degrees from Tuskegee and Troy State Universities in Alabama. She is a Tuck School of Business graduate at Dartmouth, “Building a Successful Diverse Business” Executive Program. She is also a Dale Carnegie, GrowthWheel, CEO PeerSpectives, Transformation Coaching Program (TCP), and John Maxwell leadership facilitator, coach, and trainer.
Her current position is as Director of the Women Veteran-Owned Small Business Initiative, she is the architect of the first program of its kind in the federal government. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program brings together like-minded female Veteran entrepreneurs to position and enable their success and remove obstacles that often stand in the way in the federal and commercial market. The effort is known in the Veteran and small business community as" VetBizLady." The program has been spotlighted in more than 20 national publications and most recently, the 2022 USA Today Magazine Special Edition on Veterans Affairs. Before her current position, she was the Director, Center for Verification and Evaluation (CVE), where she transformed the Veteran certification process and led it to become only one of three Department of VA organizations ISO-9001 certified at the time. The CVE program is known within the supplier diversity and Veteran small business community as VetBiz.gov and is the recognized "Gold Standard" for Veteran Small Business certifications. (CVE is now located at SBA and is known as “VetCert”).
Ms. Gardner-Ince’s personal mission is to be "About the Business of America's Veteran Entrepreneurs – serving those who continue to serve America." She is a dedicated champion of entrepreneurship, focusing on the underserved and socio-economic communities. She empowers entrepreneurs, supports small business owners in their journey to success through strategic engagement, collaborative government, non-profit and commercial partnerships. Ms. "G-I" has a unique perspective in that she has never been without a military ID Card. LinkedIn, the world's largest social media business network, named her one of the "Top Voices" for the Military Veteran Community in 2021. Ms. "G-I" is an inspirational speaker, champion and advocate for Women Veterans and has received numerous awards and recognition for her trailblazing efforts to elevate and enable Women Veteran leaders and entrepreneurs.
She holds degrees from Tuskegee and Troy State Universities in Alabama. She is a Tuck School of Business graduate at Dartmouth, “Building a Successful Diverse Business” Executive Program. She is also a Dale Carnegie, GrowthWheel, CEO PeerSpectives, Transformation Coaching Program (TCP), and John Maxwell leadership facilitator, coach, and trainer.
Speaking At
