The Office of Veterans Business Development recognized Patricia Krausman, director of the Elizabethtown Small Business Development Center, as one of the six most outstanding instructors for the 2016 Boots 2 Business program.

Boots 2 Business is an entrepreneurial education and training program offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. It is a training track within the U.S. Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program. The curriculum provides valuable assistance for transitioning service members who are exploring business ownership or other self-employment opportunities. The program leads them through the key steps for evaluating business concepts and providing the foundation required to develop a business plan. In addition, participants are introduced to Small Business Administration partners and resources.

The recognition was based on the instructors’ contributions and dedication to the program and to service members, veterans and spouses in their business ownership endeavors. Nominations for this achievement came from Small Business Administration offices across the country.

Krausman has provided business management consulting and training for more than 20 years. In 2009, she developed and served as the director of the Kentucky Small Business Development Center’s Veterans Assistance Program, the resource for veteran business support and advocacy. Additionally, she was chosen as A Veteran’s Small Business Advocate of the Year in 2013 by the Kentucky Small Business Administration. She takes an active role in her work and advocacy, serving as a member of the Kentucky Commission on Small Business Advocacy, the Lincoln Trail Workforce Development Board and the Governor’s Veterans Interagency Task Force. She was awarded the prestigious Kentucky Association for Economic Development Allied Professional of the Year in 2014.

“The Kentucky Small Business Development Center has a long-standing commitment to veterans and veteran-owned businesses. Boots 2 Business is a program specifically designed by the Small Business Administration and its resource partners to ensure that veterans have expert guidance and direction in their path to entrepreneurship,” Krausman said. “It’s an honor to be included in the recognition of outstanding instructors for the national SBA Boots 2 Business program. Veterans are exceptional entrepreneurs, and it is rewarding to have the opportunity to support them in their successful transition to small-business ownership.”

The Kentucky Small Business Development Center, part of the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, is a network of 13 offices located throughout the state. The center helps existing and start-up businesses succeed by offering high quality, in-depth and hands-on services. KSBDC is a partner program with the U.S. Small Business Administration. For more information on KSBDC services, visit their website, http://www.ksbdc.org/.