Faculty, Leadership Arlington

Tara Palacios is the Director of BizLaunch, Arlington’s Small Business and Entrepreneurial Assistance Network in Arlington County, Virginia. Ms. Palacios founded the BizLaunch program in 2002 to help diverse entrepreneurs to successfully launch, grow and expand their businesses in the County. Since its inception the program has outreached to over 75,000 business owners through sponsored workshops, seminars, and one-on-one counseling sessions.

Ms. Palacios has over 30 years of experience in Marketing and Business Development at a variety of for-profit firms: a health maintenance organization, an IT software developer, a financial institution, and a uranium enricher before joining Arlington County in 2001.  Ms. Palacios has received numerous awards for her work and dedication to small businesses from the US Small Business Administration, the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, the Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity to name a few. Ms. Palacios received her undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and her graduate degree from the Johns Hopkins University. She also is a certified Public Manager through George Washington University.