W. Kenneth Yancey, Jr. currently serves as CEO of the SCORE Association, a position he has held since 1993. During his tenure with SCORE, Mr. Yancey has been responsible for developing SCORE into a one of the most efficient, effective job creation and business formation engines in the nation. SCORE has served more than 10 million existing and aspiring small business owners since inception and helps to create more than 58,000 new businesses and over 71,000 new jobs annually. Mr. Yancey empowers and inspires 320 SCORE chapters and 11,000 volunteer mentors across the nation. Prior to joining SCORE, Yancey served as Executive Director for the National Business Association.
Recognized as one of the nation's leading advocates for small business, Mr. Yancey represents SCORE nationally before the media, industry leaders and in Congressional testimony. He serves on the Small Business Advisory Council of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and, alongside President Obama, First Lady Michele Obama and Dr. Jill Biden; he was involved in the launch of the national Joining Forces Initiative in the summer of 2011.
Mr. Yancey speaks across the country on the topics of entrepreneurship, nonprofit management, small business trends and volunteer mentoring, appearing on ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, Fox News and PBS. He is also a frequent guest on several radio shows including Small Business Advocate, Build Your Business, Small Business Trends and Biz Talk. He serves as a member of the HuffPost Small Business Board of Directors and has been honored with numerous awards including 2011 Small Business Influencer Champion, the USA Freedom Corp Award of Excellence, the American Society of Association Executives Summit Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Future of Entrepreneurship Education Summit.
A Texas native, Mr. Yancey received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from Texas A&M University. He now resides in Northern Virginia with his wife of 18 years and two sons and is an active outdoorsman, leader in the Boy Scouts of America, and little league football coach.