Dulce Zahniser is a Senior International Trade Specialist at the Virginia Small Business Development Center (SBDC), where she specializes in helping companies enter the international marketplace.  Her specialties include importing, exporting, international trade compliance (ITAR and EAR), and trade finance.  She has nearly 30 years of international business experience and has worked in more than 40 countries.

In addition to her role at SBDC, she is also the Managing Director of Towpath Group International, LLC where she represents clients involved in global technology solutions, manufacturing, energy, agribusiness, real estate development, communications, financial services, and smart technology.  She has worked on US government development activities with such organizations as USAID, US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the Department of Defense.  Prior to forming Towpath, she was a senior executive of the Overseas Private Investment Agency (OPIC), the US government agency supporting US private sector investment in emerging economies.  Dulce is also an International Business Advisor for Willdan Group, Inc. focusing on new market development, domestic and international government entities, and multilateral organizations, and provides advisory services regarding funding mechanisms for international infrastructure projects.

Dulce is a Certified Global Business Professional (CGBP) and a member of the District Export Council (DEC) of DC and Virginia.  A graduate of American University in political science and economics, Dulce also has a Master’s degree in International Commerce and Policy as well as a Certificate in Global Trade Management from George Mason University.  As part of her programs at George Mason University, she participated in EU programs based at the University of Maastricht in Brussels, Belgium and Mansfield College, Oxford University.  While at Oxford in 2015, she examined the pending impacts of the impending Brexit vote and the associated trade consequences.