Leslie Langer

Regional Director

Leslie Langer has been with the SBTDC at UNCW since 1987, as a consultant and, since 1999, Regional Director. During those years, she has worked with numerous entrepreneurs in the region, assisting with the creation and expansion of their businesses.

In addition to her small business counseling experience, Leslie has served as a facilitator for several programs, including the annual kick-off retreat for Leadership Wilmington and the North Carolina Governor’s Conference on Small Business in 1997. Leslie serves on the following boards:

• Southeastern Economic Development Commission
• Leadership Team of the Partners for Economic Inclusion
• Cameron School of Business' Economic Advisory Board

After earning a BA from Rutgers University, she spent two years working for Citibank, N.A. Further finance experience came from her two-year employment with a precious metals dealer in the New York area. And prior to joining the SBTDC, Leslie worked for Ernst and Whinney in Washington, D.C., in their management consulting division for public utilities. In 1996, Leslie earned a MBA at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.

In 2001, the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) named Leslie as the Star Performer for North Carolina.

James Howell

Business Counselor

James Howell’s broad professional career spans over 20 years as a corporate manager and executive, in which he was responsible for a variety of financial, planning and administrative functions, including strategic planning, financial planning, financial analysis, budgeting and forecasting. These roles were all in international, multi-unit manufacturing companies. He also funded, managed and sold two startup companies in service industries in North Carolina. In two other entrepreneurial endeavors, he started and managed a private investment banking firm and a management consulting firm, both of which worked primarily with small companies in Michigan and the UK. Jim is a retired Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy (Reserve).

In addition to his extensive professional experience, Jim earned a Master of Business (MBA) degree from Michigan State University and a Bachelor of Arts from Kalamazoo College in Michigan.

ANN HOWARD

Business Counselor

Ann Howard is a general business counselor at SBTDC, UNC Wilmington.

Before coming to the SBTDC, Ann Howard managed marketing and public relations for a small local business. Her areas of expertise are in new media marketing and crisis communications.  She has additional experience in business valuation and technology transfer research. She has volunteered locally for many organizations including the Wilmington Symphony Orchestra, Good Shepherd Ministries, and Coastal Horizons, Inc. She was a Presidential Scholar at Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC, graduating with a degree in Journalism.  She received her MBA from the Cameron School of Business at UNCW .

Jack Morrow

Boating Industry Services Counselor

Jack is a veteran business consultant and manager with over thirty year’s experience. He is a Certified Public Accountant with experience in International Commercial Banking, Big 4 Public Accounting, and Industrial Management. He worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Washington DC and Pittsburgh, Pa, and Mellon Bank NA as a worldwide commercial credit Officer. Operational and financial management of medium sized manufacturing and development organizations has been his specialty for the last fifteen years as a corporate consultant for his own firm. Jack received his undergraduate degree in Accounting and Business Management from Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pa and his Masters courses in Taxation were at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. He passed the CPA examination in Pennsylvania in 1974 and has an inactive OPUV Coast Guard Captain’s License.

Amy Cobb

Program Assistant

Amy Cobb is the Program Assistant at SBTDC, UNC Wilmington. She serves as the primary contact, coordinator and administrative support for the office. Ms. Cobb and her family relocated to the Wilmington area in August 2007. Prior to their move, Amy was a Senior Project Associate, focusing on events and logistical management, at the Critical Infrastructure Protection Program at George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia.

Amy's professional experience is in events and logistical management and high level customer service. She graduated from Douglass College, at Rutgers the State University of New Jersey in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Minor in Women’s Studies. Amy is currently enrolled in the Masters of Public Administration Program at UNCW.

Andrew Gray

MBA Graduate Assistant

Andrew has recently received his MBA from the Cameron School of Business at UNCW. Before coming to the SBDTC, Andrew served as the marketing director for a law firm, and has been involved in several Internet startups including Real Estate data management, computer network operations and document management as well as consulting for small businesses about web based marketing. His undergraduate degree is in Journalism from UNC - Chapel Hill.