Economic Impact Catalyst Names Shani Harvie Director of Client Success

Former New Mexico economic development leader brings a practitioner’s perspective to EIC’s client work as Catalyzer grows

PALM HARBOR, FL, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Economic Impact Catalyst (EIC) the company behind the Catalyzer platform announced today that Shani Harvie has joined as Director of Client Success and Implementation. Harvie, who most recently served as the first Director of the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s Creative Industries Division, will lead client success for Catalyzer, working with Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs), Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), and economic development organizations (EDOs) that EIC serves across more than 35 states.

Harvie comes to EIC from the same kind of institution EIC’s clients work in every day. At the New Mexico Economic Development Department, she built programs focused on helping underserved small business owners navigate government systems, and connect to resources and capital. She was then named the inaugural Director of the newly created Creative Industries Division, where she was responsible for the dispersion of over $4 million in grants for the state’s creative economy, and launching NM CreativeCon, a statewide series of events connecting creatives to resources during the division’s annual Creative Industries Season.

In her new role, Harvie will help client organizations get more than a software rollout. She will lead onboarding and adoption across client teams, support organizations bringing Catalyzer to statewide and regional networks, and help programs connect their services and data so they can clearly demonstrate what their work is producing to funders, policymakers, partners, and the communities they serve.
The appointment reflects EIC’s view that small business programs need impact systems, not just measurement tools, and that the people guiding clients should understand how those programs actually run.

“Systems and technology shape what we can access and understand, and what becomes possible,” said Harvie. “I’ve spent my career thinking about how institutions can better serve people, and this role lets me carry that forward by helping organizations understand their impact while implementing solutions that center the entrepreneurs and small businesses they exist to serve.”

“We remind ourselves all the time that we’re in the people business, not the software business,” said David Ponraj, founder and CEO of Economic Impact Catalyst. “Shani has sat where our clients sit, inside a public agency working to connect entrepreneurs to resources and demonstrate that the work makes a difference. That’s the perspective I want shaping how we support our clients and how we continue building Catalyzer.”

Harvie is a 2025 Albuquerque Business First 40 Under 40 honoree and a Certified Entrepreneurship Development Professional. She has served on the boards of the Empower! Black Futures Community Fund and Tomorrow’s Women, a nonprofit supporting the leadership development of young women internationally. She holds a degree from the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

About Economic Impact Catalyst
Economic Impact Catalyst (EIC) builds impact systems for the organizations that support entrepreneurs and small businesses. Its flagship platform, Catalyzer, helps SBDCs, CDFIs, EDOs, and other support organizations manage programs, connect entrepreneurs to the right resources, and turn their work into measurable outcomes for their communities and funders. EIC’s portfolio also includes Startup Space and LenderImpact. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in the Tampa Bay area, EIC is bootstrapped and profitable and serves organizations in more than 35 states. Its technology has supported more than 100,000 small business owners and helped facilitate more than $200 million in capital to underrepresented entrepreneurs. Learn more at economicimpactcatalyst.com.

McKenzie Dial-Fritscher
Economic Impact Catalyst
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