Newsroom Archive

Ivonne Cunarro

Chief Knowledge Officer

Ivonne Cunarro is the Chief Knowledge Officer for the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency. She is responsible for developing MBDA's research and knowledge management programs. Under her leadership, MBDA has produced two reports in-house entitled, “The State of Minority Business Enterprises” and “Characteristics of Minority Businesses and Entrepreneurs.” She has also spearheaded the production of five other papers on issues of importance to minority business enterprises including: “Disparities in Capital Access between Minority and non-Minority Businesses,” “Increasing MBE Competitiveness through Strategic Alliances,” “MBEs: Mastering the Supply Chain” and “The Sophisticated Innovator: Practical Insights from Provocative Stories of Innovation in Minority Business Enterprises."

Prior to the Chief Knowledge Officer position, she served as Executive Director and CEO of the National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP), where she directed all efforts including, fundraising, congressional affairs, coalition building and convention management. Cunarro worked on Capitol Hill as Director of Communications for Congressman José E. Serrano for over four years. In addition, she served as Deputy Director of Communications for the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and as Director of Communications for the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility. She has served as a board member of NAHP, the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, and the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda. Cunarro holds a Master of Arts in Broadcast Journalism and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, both from the University of Maryland.