Ms. Kerrigan has developed positive relationships with individuals in media, government, policy and advocacy organizations, and the private sector that have led to key reforms and initiatives to help America's entrepreneurial sector. In 1994, Ms. Kerrigan founded the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council, a prominent and respected advocacy and research organization with more than 70,000 members. She is President & CEO of Women Entrepreneurs Inc., a nonprofit business association that helps women business owners succeed through education, networking and advocacy.

Ms. Kerrigan regularly testifies before the U.S. Congress on issues that impact America's entrepreneurial sector. She meets often with delegations from around the world that wish to learn about public policy recommendations that will enhance and sustain entrepreneurial activity. In June 2002 she was appointed to serve on the National Women's Business Council.  In September 2002 she was appointed by the U.S. Treasury Secretary to serve on the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel (TAP).  She has presented at both Economic Summits hosted by President George W. Bush.  She currently serves on the National Advisory Committee for Labor Provisions of U.S. Free Trade Agreements, and in November 2007 joined the board of the Center for International Private Enterprise.

She helped construct the Women Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century conferences sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (DoL) and Small Business Administration. In May 2005, WE Inc. co-sponsored the first MidEast/North Africa Women's Business Summit in Tunis, Tunisia.  
 
In the February 2006 issue of Inc. Magazine, Kerrigan was listed on the "Best Friends in D.C." list for small business owners, profiled as a "power broker and activist" with "serious clout" for entrepreneurs. Fortune Small Business named Ms. Kerrigan to its 2000 Power 30 list of key advocates in Washington In 1995, National Journal named Ms. Kerrigan to its short list of "K Street" activists most likely to have an impact on Capitol Hill. In May 2005 The Hill newspaper called Kerrigan "the hardest working woman in show business" and named SBE Council as one of the most influential groups representing small business.

She has served on the boards of the National Women's Business Center of Washington, D.C., the Business & Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), and Americans for Technology Leadership. She chairs the Health Savings Account (HSA) Coalition, which led the drive to enact HSAs.