Kim Lane

Kim Lane has spent her career building and scaling organizations, programs, and initiatives that expand economic opportunity and social impact. She is the Executive Director of America the Entrepreneurial, a national campaign focused on renewing America’s entrepreneurial spirit and elevating entrepreneurship as a civic and economic priority. She is also the founding Chief Operating Officer of Right to Start, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit expanding entrepreneurial opportunity for all, where she helped build and scale the organization to advance reforms for entrepreneurs, launch statewide coalitions, and build national networks spanning civic, policy, and public-sector leadership.

Kim serves as a Senior Advisor to the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), supporting startup communities around the world and contributing to global dialogue on entrepreneurship and inclusive economic growth.

While running her own company, Kim served as a long-term vendor to Facebook, supporting initiatives across the company’s social impact and education modernization portfolio. Her work included expanding workforce pathways for low-income college students, supporting programs that help small businesses grow and build long-term capacity, and strengthening internal operations across multiple departments. She also spent a decade supporting the Kauffman Foundation, helping build and scale 1 Million Cups, one of the world’s largest entrepreneurship support programs.

Based in Arkansas, Kim was the founding CEO of The Conductor, an organization supporting rural and underserved entrepreneurs statewide, and co-launched the state’s first-ever industry-based accelerator for healthcare startups.

Earlier in her career, Kim designed and piloted entrepreneurship education and community initiatives, including High School Startup Day, developed in partnership with Junior Achievement of Arkansas and later adapted and scaled internationally. She also served as the founding director of Startup Grind Arkansas and Global Entrepreneurship Week Arkansas, helping launch statewide platforms that connect entrepreneurs, supporters, and community leaders.

Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including being named one of the world’s top Startup Champions by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (2019); Visionary Arkansan (Arkansas Times, 2019); Women to Watch (Soirée Magazine, 2019); 40 Under 40 (Arkansas Business, 2018); and Young Business Leader of the Year (City of Conway, 2019).

Kim has previously served on the boards of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, Junior Achievement of Arkansas, and Global Ties Arkansas, an organization advancing international cultural exchange and global leadership. She was also appointed by the Mayor to the City of Conway Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board, and served as a governor-appointed commissioner to the Arkansas Women’s Commission in 2022.