Mark One’s Rosana Privitera Biondo advocates for the nation’s women business owners.

Rosana Privitera Biondo might be living every business owner’s wildest dream. Uncle Sam actually listens when she has an opinion about a law or policy.

Biondo, the president of Mark One Electric, serves on the National Women’s Business Council. It’s an official nonpartisan board that advises the White House, Congress and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Her three-year term runs through next year.

The council draws attention to major challenges facing women-owned companies.
Case in point: A while back, the government decided to allow set-aside contracts for women-owned small businesses, but only if the contracts were worth less than $4 million in many cases. The NWBC argued that it wasn’t fair—there were no caps on the government’s set-aside program for 8(a) participants. The government agreed and did away with the cap.

“I do think they are listening,” Biondo said. But elected leaders also face a stream of proposals and complaints from people. That’s why it’s important for Biondo and the NWBC to keep speaking up.

“If we weren’t voicing our opinions,” she said, “things wouldn’t change.”