Small-business center names chief

FORT MYERS — The Florida Small Business Development Center in Fort Myers has named Lois Knox as the new regional director.

Knox previously served as assistant director for business and finance for the Florida SBDC network state office in Pensacola. In this role, she assisted in the financial management and operational oversight of more than 40 small-business centers across the state.

In her new role at the center based at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Knox will provide strategy and oversight of business development efforts in Southwest Florida. Knox was named regional director following the retirement of Dan Regelski, who pioneered the development of the center 20 years ago.

“Her tenacity and experience both at the state level and with small businesses will provide the leadership needed to grow business-development efforts in the Southwest Florida region,” says Michael Myhre, the CEO and network state director for the Florida SBDC, in a statement.