Carmen West currently serves as a Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, spearheading the Equality of Opportunity Initiative (EOI). As Vice President, West is responsible for closing race-based opportunity gaps in 5 key areas: Education, Entrepreneurship, Health, Wealth, and Criminal Justice. West, a former entrepreneur, and small business owner was previously a Senior Advisor in the Biden Administration tackling policy and creating initiatives for small and middle market firms at the U.S. Department of Commerce. She led and authored legislative policy and initiatives relating to business, finance and investment, supply chain, energy, and banking. West established the Agency's first-ever venture capital program, closing investment gaps for small, middle-market, women owned, underserved and diverse companies. She was the lead advisor to the National Director on the American Rescue Plan Act's State Small Business Initiative, resulting in a $100 million dollar allocation to the Minority Business Development Agency from the U.S. Department of Treasury. West also worked in the Obama Administration and worked to address finance impediments for entrepreneurs at $1M+ in revenue. As a result of her leadership, she secured the first ever $100 million dollar MOU to dismantle barriers in accessing capital, led the first ever initiative to support female, emerging managers resulting in $1B in awards in fixed assets, and the created the first ever finance initiative using mergers & acquisitions as a growth strategy for middle market, women and diverse firms.

West has emerged as a national voice on business, access to capital, procurement, supply chain, banking, and investor education, having addressed audiences in the U.S., South Africa, Germany, and Switzerland. As a private sector executive and entrepreneur, West has collaborated with legislators and policy makers spanning from the Ohio legislature to Capitol Hill on supply chain, workforce, finance, banking, energy, oil & gas, and public utilities for more than two decades. West was appointed by Governor, John Kasich to the Ohio Minority Business Executive Committee, an 8-member body advising the governor on statewide, complex concerns relating to minority business, employment, and policy. She was also appointed by Governor, Ted Strickland, as Vice Chair of the Ohio Minority Business Advisory Council overseeing $1.72B in the state of Ohio’s procurement.

West is actively involved with a variety of civic and professional activities. She currently is a board member of the ALANI Foundation, addressing maternal health and infant mortality.