The Salt Lake Chamber said it has appointed Lavanya Mahate as director of its Women's Business Center.

Mahate will manage day-to-day activities for the center, provide one-on-one counseling and administer programs to women members at the chamber.

Prior to the appointment, Mahate was the chamber's programs and events manager. She has also held various positions in event management and marketing at the Women's Business Center over the past four years.

Mahate has a master's degree in mass communication with a specialization in public relations and corporate communications from Symbiosis University in Pune, India, and a post-graduate certificate in integrated marketing communications from the University of Utah.

The Women's Business Center is a partnership between the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Women's Business Ownership and the Salt Lake Chamber. The mission is to provide programs that help women entrepreneurs become full partners in national and global economics.