Alison Tavik
Alison Tavik, Manager, Public Relations & Outreach Unit, MDOT/Office of Minority Business Enterprise
With one of the oldest Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Programs in the country, Maryland is firmly committed to increasing opportunities for minority- and women-owned firms to engage in State contracting opportunities. Firms are certified to participate in the MBE program through the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Office of Minority Business Enterprise. In FY2011, over 750 new firms were certified and the number of firms listed in MDOT’s official online directory grew 9.5 percent. Today, there are more than 5,400 firms in the program.
Alison Tavik is the Public Relations and Outreach Manager for the state’s official certification agency. She educates firms about the benefits of certification, the eligibility standards all applicants must meet and the overall process of certification for both the State MBE program as well as the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.
Prior to joining the State in 2008, Alison spent over 25 years in the private sector working in marketing, public relations and corporate communication. She uses this experience to also help firms understand how to compete effectively and how to engage in the public procurement arena.
