Meet Dr. Jesus J. Amezcua

Dr. Jesus J. Amezcua is the assistant superintendent for business services at HCDE. Amezcua holds a bachelor's degree in business and accounting from Tarkio College, a master's degree in business administration, accountancy and logistics from Texas A&M International University and a doctorate in education administration from Texas A&M University. Before joining HCDE in 2009, he worked as chief financial officer at Laredo Independent School District. Amezcua's achievements include earning multiple certificates of achievement for financial reporting and excellent budget document awards.

Meet Perla Arredondo

With three years of experience in public procurement, Perla Arredondo has played a key role in implementing new procurement systems across the City of Houston. As a Training Administrator, she develops and delivers training to ensure staff are equipped to navigate these evolving systems.

Perla works closely with the vendor community, fostering strong relationships and providing resources that help suppliers successfully engage with the City's procurement opportunities. She has contributed to modernization efforts that drive efficiency, transparency, and accessibility, integrating technology that enhances the effectiveness of public purchasing for both the City of Houston and its suppliers.

Meet Bryan Baldwin

Bryan Baldwin serves as a senior strategic account executive with Amazon Business, an approved vendor through the Choice Partners national purchasing cooperative.

At iPASS, Bryan will host a special breakout session with limited seating titled “Small Businesses, Big Marketplace: Doing Business with Amazon Business through Choice Partners.” 

Meet Hillary Berman

Hillary Berman is the CEO of Alboum Translation Services. She works to ensure the company's service offerings and technical approach align with the language access needs of local government agencies, nonprofits, and other mission-driven organizations.

Hillary is passionate about customer service and finding the most practical and cost-effective solution to any situation. She lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her family and loves traveling, the outdoors, college sports, and cooking and baking for her houseful of boys.

She is a graduate of Syracuse University and the University of Maryland.

Meet Jarvis L. Brewer

Jarvis L. Brewer is the Small Business Advocate in the Office of the Governor’s Economic Development & Tourism Office. In this role, Jarvis serves as the principal focal point for assisting small and historically underutilized businesses.

Being from Corsicana, TX and growing up in an entrepreneurial household, Jarvis understands the challenges that small businesses encounter daily. Jarvis and the Governor’s Small Business Team strive to be an asset for businesses across all communities in Texas – so that Texans may chart their own courses towards achieving the American Dream.

Jarvis is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin as well as a United States Navy veteran – having served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom as a member of Naval Special Warfare. His varied experiences provide him with a unique perspective to advocate on behalf of the Lone Star State’s small business community.

Meet Jeff Drury

Jeffrey Drury is the director of Choice Partners cooperative at HCDE. Drury holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial distribution from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of St. Thomas. Before joining HCDE in 2015, Drury had 20-plus years of sales, marketing and management experience in facility-related areas. His achievements and accomplishments include serving as supervising senior auditor for a corporate internal audit team of a Fortune 50 company. His professional affiliations include the National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions.

Meet Mark Winchester

Mark Winchester is the District Director for the Houston District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration and has 21 years of federal service and economic development. His duties include supervising district staff in overseeing the delivery of SBA programs and services in the 32 counties served by the district. Last year, this included over $1.5 Billion in loan guarantees and surety for small businesses in the district.

Winchester is the 2015 Ike Award Recipient, established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1957 as the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service. Before joining SBA, Mr. Winchester worked for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) for eight years, where he held various positions including SBDC Certified Business Advisor Level IV Counselor, Assistant SBDC Director, VBOC Director, and Director of the Rio South Texas Regional PTAC.

He is a three-time recipient of the Lower Rio Grande Valley District Office Counselor of the Year Award and a two-time recipient of both the SBDC State Star Award and Congressional Letters of Recognition. Prior to UTRGV, Mr. Winchester was an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer for a non-profit working in housing and economic development. He has also worked for several insurance companies, the State of Connecticut Attorney General’s Office, and the U.S. Navy Submarine Force.

Mr. Winchester holds an AS, BBS, and MBA from the University of Connecticut at Storrs. His expertise is in Finance and Information Technology.