Erin Horne McKinney

Passionate about financial inclusion, social impact, inclusive innovation, and equitable entrepreneurship, Erin Horne McKinney is an award-winning entrepreneur and leader serving as the inaugural National Executive Director of the Howard University & PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship (HUxPNC Center).

Prior to joining Howard University, Erin served as the inaugural Executive Vice President of Innovation and Strategy for the Association of Enterprise Opportunity (the national trade association for micro businesses and the financial institutions that support small businesses), the first Black CEO of WomenVenture (a Small Business Administration designated Women's Business Center and Community Development Financial Institution), the inaugural Managing Partner of Inclusion for JumpStart Inc. (a nonprofit venture and economic development firm), and as the inaugural Senior Advisor on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Executive Office of the Mayor of Washington D.C. Additionally, her previous experience includes executive leadership roles with the National Association of Multicultural Digital Entrepreneurs (NAMDE), the National Diversity Council, and the Maynard Institute. Her entrepreneurship and technology policy work includes research positions with TechNet, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration within the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.

Erin is the Founder of the global membership community, Black Female Founders (acquired), and the Cofounder of Zimbali Networks, a fintech startup. Erin is a seasoned executive, investor, communication scientist, entrepreneurial ecosystem builder, and serial entrepreneur and intrapreneur with more than two decades of entrepreneurship and tech policy, venture capital, economic and business development, Inclusion/Diversity/Equity/Allyship (IDEA), and marketing communications experience.

Erin is a member of Pipeline Angels and serves as an advisor and mentor to startups, incubators, and accelerator programs. She is a founding member of the Black Innovation Alliance (BIA) and serves on the advisory board for Collider's Inclusion Open program (funded by the Kauffman Foundation), and as a Board Director for Greater Twin Cities United Way, Tubman, and BIA. She served as the founding President & CEO of the African American Community Development Corporation (AACDC) in Minnesota and the Chair & Managing Partner of Minnesota Impact Partners (MIP). She is a proud graduate and active alum of Howard University in Washington, D.C.