Page 10 October 2, 2019 Minority & Small Business Week Advocate for Small Business Johnell Bell named to leadership council Johnell Bell, a longtime advocate for minority busi- nesses in Portland, has been named to the National Small Business Association Lead- ership Council, the nation’s oldest small-business advo- cacy organization promoting the interests of small business to policymakers in Washing- ton, D.C. A former director of di- versity at TriMet and a field director for U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley for several years, Bell is president and found- er of Espousal Strategies and chief of staff for the Portland Diamond Project. He is a rec- ognized small-business lead- er and public policy expert. “At a time when small businesses are losing their voice, joining NSBA’s Lead- ership Council will enable me to help small businesses by advocating for better laws and Johnell Bell regulation,” said Bell. “With my long history of working in Congress, I’ll be able to help make a real difference for small businesses here in Ore- gon and across the country.” Other issues the council wants to tackle include tax reform, health care costs and how the Affordable Care Act impacts small businesses, of- ficials said. Advertise with diversity in For more information, contact: Celeste King Peter Garcia Procurement and Contracts Manager 503-802-8541 Celeste.King.@homeforward.org Senior Procurement Coordinator 503-802-8549 Peter.Garcia@homeforward/org The Portland Observer Call 503-288-0033 or email ads@portlandobserver.com