Director, Cal Poly CIE SBDC
ddowsett@calpoly.edu
Dena Dowsett serves as director of the Cal Poly CIE Small Business Development Center (SBDC), where she leads programs and no-cost business advising services for startups and established small businesses throughout San Luis Obispo County. She oversees the center’s day-to-day operations, program development, budget and grant management, and regional outreach while strengthening partnerships across the local business and economic development community.
Before joining the CIE, Dowsett served as assistant dean of market development at Monterey College of Law, where she led strategic communications, marketing and enrollment initiatives. She is also an active member of the San Luis Obispo business community and serves on the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Committee.
Dowsett holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Illinois State University and an associate degree in legal studies from Black Hawk College.
