Fran Perez-Wilhite, MBA, serves as the Program Manager, Veteran-Owned Business Development with the NC Military Business Center in Charlotte, NC since 2006. Concurrently, she is appointed by the US Small Business Administration to her second term as Chairwoman of the Advisory Committee on Veterans Business Affairs which meets in Washington, DC. Additionally, Fran is involved with other national federal agency board appointments based in Washington, DC. She serves on the US Small Business Administration Interagency Task Force since 2019. She also completed two appointments to the US Department of Veterans Affairs Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses from 2014 – 2019. Previously, Fran held numerous management positions at Philip Morris USA where she had been employed for thirteen years. Prior to this, she was a Lieutenant in the US Army. Ms. Perez-Wilhite graduated from Wake Forest University, where she earned a Master of Business Administration in 1997. She also attained a Bachelor of Arts from Norwich University in 1988. Fran has served on multiple city, county, state, federal, non-profit and corporate boards and committees for over twenty-five years. She is very proud of her former position as Chairwoman of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Community Relations Subcommittee. Fran proudly completed her appointment to the NC Commission on Military Affairs as well. During her NCMBC tenure, Fran has been honored with the following awards: Charlotte Business Journal Women In Business Award – Jan 2018 Mecklenburg Times 50 Most Influential Women – May 2017 ATHENA Leadership Award Recipient – October 2012 BPC Business Award – September 2012 Business Leader Woman Extraordinaire Award – December 2011. Fran is married to Chuck Wilhite and they reside in Charlotte, NC.