Laura Fine, PhD

Laura Fine is the state director for the Arkansas SBTDC hosted by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She joined the program in 1989 initially engaged in training and communications roles prior to becoming Assistant State Director in 1992 and then Associate State Director in 2013. She was named state director in 2017. Prior to joining the Arkansas SBTDC, Fine was a trainer and special projects manager for Levi Strauss & Co.
She leads the ASBTDC statewide network of 11 offices with more than 60 team members. ASBTDC is currently performing on six projects federally funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
A member of the America’s SBDC Network Board of Directors, Fine also serves on the national Marketing and Operations Committees and previously served on the Accreditation Committee. She was recognized by Arkansas Business in its annual Arkansas 250 listing in 2019 and 2020 as one of Arkansas’ Most Influential Leaders in Economic Development. She represents the Arkansas SBTDC with the Arkansas Economic Developers and Chamber Executives, the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, and the Arkansas Community & Economic Development Alliance.
Fine earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from the University of Central Arkansas. She is an active member of Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock where she currently serves on the Finance Team.