Dana Espinal is the Director of Lamar State College Port Arthur SBDC.  Bringing more than 30 years of demonstrated experience in the planning, design, development and construction including owning and operating a design retail company for 10 years prior to selling her minority woman owned business.  Her expertise includes startup businesses, business expansions, marketing, branding, construction contracts and remodeling/new construction projects for clients.  She illustrates solid experience as a project administrator responsible for all phases of construction project management and is knowledgeable on receiving and conducting business with tribal governments.  Espinal has earned a Master’s in Business Administration from Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, Oklahoma.  She enjoys traveling, beach life and assisting with community planning and development work as a volunteer.

Alicia Benitez-Booker was born and raised in Brownsville, Texas. She has worked in business administration for over 30 years. Starting at the Port of Brownsville, to Corpus Christi, to  Orange, Texas where she has lived and worked since 2003.  She has worked with several organizations/businesses in Orange, including Technical Resource Staffing Services, Cloeren Inc., and the Stark Foundation. Working at Technical Resource under the owner Mr. Fred Thompson, she served as the Business Liaison as a Recruiter. She was with the Stark Foundation where she worked under the Curator and the Director, from whom I learned so much and respect. Most recently, she worked with Workforce Solutions in Orange as their Business Liaison for several years.