Joan Koerber-Walker
CEO, Entrepreneur, Business Innovator, and Philanthropist
Joan Koerber-Walker is the CEO of ASBA (the Arizona Small Business Association) a 3,000 member entrepreneurial business organization representing over 200,000 employees across the state of Arizona - the #1 location for entrepreneurs according to Entrepreneur Magazine. She and her team of talented executives deliver economic development support, business connectivity, educational services, premier business events, public policy direction, and risk management solutions to business along the growth path.
As Chairman of the Boardof CorePurpose, Inc., Joan leads and organization that focuses on Fortune 500 companies and delivers sustainable results by combining the experience, skills and talents within teams to create focused business environments that maximize innovation, growth, profitability and return on investment. The company, which she founded in 2002, includes three divisions – CorePurpose Publishing, Business Advisory, and the CoreAlliance, a portfolio of 45 expert organizations specializing in Human Resources, Sales & Marketing, Operations, Finance and IT.
In 2004, she was recognized by the Stevie Awards, the “Oscar” for women entrepreneurs as one of the leading business women in the United States.
Prior to founding CorePurpose, Joan’s career includes two decades of experience in technology distribution where` she held a wide range of positions in Management, Marketing, Sales, and Operations. She was instrumental in the development of Avnet’s ASIC/FPGA business and the launch of Avnet’s first Telesales operation. While directing the Global Supplier Contracts process for Avnet’s three operating groups (Electronics Marketing, Applied Computing and Computer Marketing), Joan worked closely with over 700 technology partners worldwide and is experienced in the challenges and the joys of working in the global business arena from cultural, operational and legal perspectives.
Having a track record for delivering substantial results, she develops and implements solutions to business challenges within smaller, focused organizations and within Fortune 500 multi-national corporations. In addition to her activities as a CEO and advisor to companies on strategy and execution, she is a member of the National Speakers Association and lectures at universities and in the professional community on strategies for personal and organizational growth.
An active member of the Arizona community, Joan serves as President of the National Speakers Association/Arizona, as Chairman of the Opportunity through Entrepreneurship Foundationand as Chair of the Board of Advisors to Parenting Arizona, the state’s largest child abuse prevention organization.. She is a member of the W.P.Carey Executive MBA Advisory Board, and is a past member of the Executive Committee of the Industry Advisory Board for the Thomas and JoanReadCenter at TexasA&MUniversity and on the Board of Directors of the Arizona Technology Council. She is the author of Connecting Resources—A Primer for Electronics Distribution and Working—a Management Tale of Changing Relationships in Changing Timesas well as numerous articles and audio programs for the business community. Joan holds an MBA (2000) from the W.P.CareySchool of Business at ArizonaStateUniversity and a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Delaware.
Joan and her husband Chris live in Phoenix with their sons Christopher and Nicholas.
Speaking Fees: $10,000.00 per day – coach travel
International engagements require a 3 day minimum and business class travel