Michael Kraft
Executive Director

Michael Kraft serves as Executive Director of the North Coast Small Business Development Center.  He leads a team who work to help entrepreneurs succeed and provide a positive economic impact in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.  In his individual work, he is involved with industry cluster projects, microenterprise, rural broadband internet deployment, child care industry research, and promoting private, government and nonprofit collaboration.  His past work is in a mix of higher education, Fortune 500 government contracting and small business.  Michael has an MBA from the Claremont Graduate University's Drucker School and a BA from the University of California at Riverside.

Colleen Trask
Staff Accountant and Business Advisor

Colleen Trask specializes in accounting and bookkeeping help for small businesses, including troubleshooting accounting and bookkeeping problems, and setting up bookkeeping systems for new ventures (QuickBooks, too!)

Janet Depace
Lead Business Advisor/Director of Del Norte Operations

Janet DePace is a long time resident and entrepreneur of Humboldt County, one of the original founders of Yakima Products Inc., and has served her community as president of Arcata Economic Development Corp., and Chair of the Humboldt County Workforce Investment Board. Prior to coming to the NCSBDC she maintained her own consulting practice with an emphasis on artists and manufacturers.

Sandy Neal
BizNet Program Coordinator

Sandy Neal has more than 25 years of experience in management, operations, engineering, and project management.  He has served as Director for a $75 million operation and as a Project Manager for projects ranging from $25,000 to $10 million.

One of Sandy's critical roles was leading business improvement projects that required change management strategies, detailed process improvement methodologies, and instituting business management systems.  Currently, he serves as an SBDC business advisor, the BizNet Program Manager, and the Rapid Response Coordinator for Humboldt County.

Sandy holds a BS degree from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and a Six Sigma Black Belt Certificate from Villanova University.  He has had a California Professional Engineers License for over 25 years. See his profile on LinkedIn by clicking here.

Barbara Burke
Business Advisor, Del Norte

Jeanette Barry
Client Services Coordinator

Tazsa Hartwell
Grants and Contracts Manager

Tazsa Hartwell is the Grants and Contracts Manager for the North Coast SBDC.  Tazsa has been working in the non-profit sector for more than five years and has taken a special interest in contract and program administration of the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) micro-enterprise funding allocation that supports services for underserved individuals with low to moderate income in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.  She manages the organization's Small Business Administration (SBA), Workforce Investment Board (WIB), and Headwaters Fund contracts in addition to several others.  Tazsa also maintains contracts and agreements with the North Coast SBDC's sub-contractor pool comprised of many talented, local business consultants.  Tazsa majors in International Studies with an emphasis in Mandarin and Chinese Studies.

Chelsea Cough
AmeriCorps VISTA

Chelsea Cough is the AmeriCorps VISTA at the North Coast Small Business Development Center.  Her focus is on working with low- to moderate-income individuals in the area of microenterprise development.  Chelsea works with entrepreneurs in the child care industry in order to better identify the needs of child care providers in Humboldt County.  Chelsea has experience in international microenterprise programs, such as her work in rural agriculture development and land use in Bolivia.  She graduated from Shippensburg University with a BS in Economics with concentrations in International Management and Spanish.

Kathrine Bridgwater
Small Business Development Analyst

Kathrine has a varied list of duties at the North Coast SBDC, which includes marketing, website content updates, assistance with programs and services for small business owners, Humboldt County Green Business Certification Program Coordinator, and assisting with grant applications, data collection, and reporting.  Kathrine came to the North Coast SBDC after several years in the for-profit business world in Humboldt County.  She graduated from UC Berkeley with a BA in Peace and Conflict Studies with honors.