Deborah Osgood is President of FERADand a recognized authority on entrepreneurship and positive human development. With a passion for leveraging people, process and technology to assist others, she has pioneered multiple training programs and innovative learning platforms to foster intrapreneurship and entrepreneurship. She is the author of MyIndividual Learning Plan for Life: 6 Steps to Purposeful Living and Learning, Who Am I? A Guide to Career Planning, Team Building: a guide to organizational motivation and productivity, and multiple works focused on starting and growing a small business. Her publications are used in training programs, academic institutions and economic development agencies nationally and internationally. Through multiple on- and off-line networks, she is helping millions of individuals to develop the knowledge, skills and experience to advance career and business development objectives.

Her work as a consultant, author, mentor and scholar has earned her multiple praises including Self-Made Person of the Year, Volunteer Spirit Award, U.S. Small Business Administration Women in Business Champion, Excellence in Business Services, Enterprising Woman of the Year, Women's Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, Outstanding Woman in Media, Above and Beyond in Youth Leadership and SNHU Alumni Hall of Fame Award. As an expert in entrepreneurship, Deborah provides advice and counsel working with U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Education on issues pertaining to economic and workforce development. Her contributions in this arena have resulted in commendations from U.S. Senators, Congressmen and Governors.

In a historic event pioneered by the U.S. Department of State, she served as 1 of 9 women in the U.S. to mentor 1 of 9 businesswomen in Iraq under the U.S. Iraqi Businesswomen Partnership Program. In addition, she donates her time and expertise serving on the U.S. Small Business Administration Regulatory Fairness Board, New Hampshire Governor's Economic Development Advisory Council, NH SCORE Counselors to America's Small Business Advisory Board, NH Jobs for America's Graduates Board, and Tufts University and Stanford University Young Entrepreneur's Study Advisory Board. She routinely volunteers on numerous economic development committees and is a past Board Vice Chair and mentor to two young girls through the Big Brother Big Sisters program.

She has been a featured guest on over 30 television and radio shows including New York's WPIX morning news, SanDiego's FOX in the Morning, Seattle's The Two O'Clock Show, Sacramento's The Adams Report, Boston WCVB-TV Chronicle, Chicago's Real Talk Radio and WMUR-TV's NH Business. As both a scholar and practitioner in the field of entrepreneurship and strategic planning, her expertise has been sought after and published in The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, New York Times, NASE, Entrepreneur, the Associated Press, Applied Developmental Science, and numerous other leading publications. She also serves as national spokesperson for IBM and The International Finance Corporation on issues pertaining to women and minorities in business.

Deborah's passion for facilitating transformative change stems from having turned around a manufacturing business from Chapter 11 to industry preeminence early in her career. Having discovered and effectively utilized a number of government and nonprofit business assistance programs to achieve this feat, she launched a social entrepreneurial venture to help others learn about and connect with the resources they required to start, grow and succeed in business and life. Visit the Business Utility Zone Gateway, myExpertNet, Business Utility Zone for Individuals with Disabilities and the Veteran's Virtual Business Accelerator to learn more. Collectively, these virtual entrepreneurial resource and educational communities are driving over 125,000 business-to-business connections each month in support of venture launch, growth and sustainability.

Deborah holds with high honors a Doctor of Arts in Transformational Leadership with a concentration in entrepreneurship and youth development from Franklin Pierce University, an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University, and a Bachelor of Business Science from New Hampshire College. She also possesses certificate training in Webmaster Technologies, Communications, Leadership, Entrepreneurial Training and Graphic Design.

"Everything in life is about working well with and through others." - Dr. Deborah A. Osgood