Adrienne McFarland

Director, Illinois Small Business Development Center at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

Chicago, Illinois

Adrienne McFarland is the director at the Illinois Small Business Development Center at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, where she promotes economic mobility for underserved entrepreneurs, advancing their equitable access to capital. Championing transparency in financial institutions and simplifying funding procedures through educational programs and guidance with private sector entities, she empowered more than 2,000 small enterprises. This resulted in over $1 million in funding for local business owners, a 10% increase in minority-owned business launches, and expanded access to digital literacy tools. She also helped her center’s small businesses in historically underserved areas like Chicago’s South and West Sides weather the storm of COVID-19’s economic impact by providing them with financial literacy resources, leading to an overall retention of 75% of their workforce.