SBA Honors Director of Veterans Charities

Deanne Tate, executive director of Veterans Charities of Orange County, has won a regional award from the U.S. Small Business Administration for helping military veterans enter the business world.

The director of the Santa Ana-based organization will be honored at a luncheon next week.

Tate, 47, was chosen from a list of nominees in Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties as 1996 Veteran Small Business Advocate of the Year, said Sandy Sutton, SBA acting district director.

Tate’s organization not only provided services to homeless veterans ranging from food to dental care, but also arranged referrals to business organizations such as the SBA, Sutton said.

“All these people were at one time useful members of society because they served in the armed forces,” said Tate, who has been the executive director for about a year. “They ran into hard times and have now been able to recoup their self-esteem and jobs.”