Dougherty County Small Business OfficeProgram Manager

July 1, 2010, the Dougherty County Commission adopted a Small Business Program and the Small Business Development plan naming Mrs. Cornelia “Pinky” Modeste as the Program Manager.  In July 2000, Ms. Modeste was hired as the first Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization in Albany, Georgia. The office was to assist in procurement opportunities with what was referred to as the  “Consortium” consisting of the City of Albany, Dougherty County, Albany Tomorrow, Inc., Water, Gas, & Light Commission and the Dougherty County School System.

In 1996, while serving as the Minority Business Coordinator for the Florida Department of Corrections, Mrs.. Modeste was recognized by the then Florida Governor, Lawton Chiles, for her leadership in assisting her agency in spending more money with minority vendors than any other state agency or university in the state.   At the request of the Governor, she coordinated the Governor’s office first Hispanic Business workshop in Miami, Florida. Ms. Modeste also served as President of the Florida Association of Minority Business Officials, the largest organization of its kind.

Ms. Modeste serves as a member of the Advisory Committee for Darton College Management Program, Albany, Ga., appointed to the Board of Directors for the Georgia Black Chamber of Commerce, Atlanta, Ga., President of the Albany-Dougherty Supplier Diversity Roundtable, Served as Chairperson for the Business & Computer Science Advisory Committee for Dougherty County High School, Served on the Georgia Governor’s Committee for Minority Business Development (2003)  and  Partnered with  Albany State University School of Business in developing the first Certificate in Supplier Diversity Procurement Management.

Mrs. Modeste has a degree in English from Florida A&M University and is a 2004 graduate of Leadership Albany.  She holds Certification from the Kaufman Foundation as a  Fast Track Facilitator/Trainer for Entrepreneurship and  several Certifications in Grant Writing,  Darton College, Albany, Georgia