2006 Walter Barnard Hill Award
for Distinguished Achievement
in University Public Service & Outreach

Eric S. Bonaparte

Eric S. Bonaparte, director of minority business development for UGA’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), is known for his work on minority business issues at the local, national, and international levels.

In 1991, Bonaparte began his career with the SBDC as a consultant in DeKalb County.

Throughout his career, Bonaparte has ranked in the top two percent of all consultants based on the number of clients served, customer satisfaction, and consulting and training evaluations. He has expanded his impact within the SBDC and the community through various entrepreneurial programs designed to stimulate minority business growth. For example, under his leadership, the SBDC’s Minority Finance Program generated 66 million dollars in funding to SBDC clients within a four-year period. Bonaparte also created or played a vital role in developing programs that have helped create new jobs and enhanced business opportunities, including the establishment of the Clark-Atlanta Small Business Development Center, the Latino Business Initiative, the Governor’s Mentor Protégé Program, the Entrepreneur Development Program, and the South DeKalb Business Incubator.

In 1999, the Association of Small Business Development Center’s honored him with the “Star Performer Award” for his community work and consulting success; only ten consultants from across the country received the national award that year.

Bonaparte was a major collaborator for the “East Side Poverty Project” in Saint Louis, Mo., which helps youth develop communication skills and self-efficiency through entrepreneurship and has reduced the high school dropout rate for participants. Today, the program is being replicated in Atlanta, Ga.

His international work included advising government officials from Trinidad and Tobago on how to establish business incubators as a method to create economic development. Additionally, through the Global Exchange Program, he has worked with business owners from Poland, Gambia, Senegal, and Russia showing them techniques and practices that have been transferred to their home countries.

Bonaparte also established a student internship and service-learning program where students from Georgia universities and colleges receive training on how to help counsel minority business owners. He has written a book, articles and research documents on minority small business and has presented his findings at local and national conferences.