The Iowa Center
Women’s Business Center
The Iowa Center Women’s Business Center is dedicated to helping Iowa women business owners launch and grow their businesses. We work to inspire women to start businesses and support them in their entrepreneurial journey. Men are welcome too!
Katie Byers
Program Director of the Women’s Business Center
Katie Byers is the Program Director of The Iowa Center Women’s Business Center. Katie’s role at The Iowa Center involves strategically organizing and implementing programs to train and individually counsel Iowans, specifically women, interested in starting or growing a business.
Katie is an attorney, artist, and entrepreneur who has launched and grown successful small businesses that support economic growth in Iowa. She is a fiber and mixed media artist with a location in Mainframe Studios, and Founder of HomeDitty, a platform that connects musical artists with house concert hosts. Katie will leverage her experience and expertise to train and counsel Iowans as they form, finance, manage and grow their small businesses.
Office Hours:
Monday–Thursday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
Friday, 8:30 am to 1 pm
and by appointment outside business hours
Do you dream of business ownership?
We can help with:
- Flexible courses designed to help you start or build your small business
- Special topic classes to help you learn more and do better
- One-on-one business counseling
- Help writing press releases and other business writing
- Private credit counseling with certified credit counselors
- Basic loan education and connections to a loan team
- Connections to other Iowa business resources
The Iowa Center Women’s Business Center provides services to Iowans in English and Spanish. And is an Equal Opportunity Service Provider. We will provide reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Our office is handicap accessible.
The Iowa Center Women’s Business Center is funded in part by U.S. Small Business Administration.
The Iowa Center Women’s Business Center Advisory Committee
The Iowa Center Women’s Business Center Advisory Committee confers with and provides recommendations to the WBC Program Director to enhance the success of the WBC. Advisory Committee members are passionate about the economic empowerment of women. They have community knowledge, insights, relationships, voice, and connections necessary to assist the Women’s Business Center (WBC) in regional planning and related execution.
Advisory Committee goals include:
- Strengthening the Women’s Business Center programming and outreach
- Building the Women’s Business Center client, volunteer, & donor base
- Identifying partnership opportunities to increase the Women’s Business Center’s program capacity and impact
Iowa Center Women’s Business Center Advisory Committee Members:
Diana Wright, Greater Des Moines Partnership
Megan Brandt, Maple Studios
Lisa Behrends, Lisa Behrends LLC
Mariela Maya, Panka Peruvian Chicken
Kara Kelso, Slow Down Coffee and Commercial Real Estate Broker
Yinka Cole, Edara Wellness
