WASHINGTON – Isabella Casillas Guzman has been confirmed as the 27th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. On March 16, the U.S. Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nominee with broad bipartisan support, 81-17 votes as Administrator of the SBA. Guzman will represent the more than 30 million U.S. small businesses and lead an agency committed to helping small business owners and entrepreneurs start, grow and be resilient.
“SBA must continue to be a lifeline for small businesses in the months ahead, and I am confident that Isabel Guzman is the best person to lead the agency out of the pandemic and through the economic recovery to follow,” said Senate Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship Chair Ben Cardin (D-MD). “Mrs. Guzman’s commitment to equity and her deep knowledge of the needs of small businesses will make her a strong advocate for all small businesses in the Biden Administration. I am looking forward to working with Mrs. Guzman as we in Congress work to fine-tune SBA to better meet the needs of small businesses in Black, Latino, Native, and other underserved communities.”
Administrator Guzman will lead a workforce of over 9,000 SBA employees and administer the SBA’s portfolio of loans, investments, disaster assistance, contracting, and counseling. Additionally, she will implement critical financial relief for small businesses impacted by the pandemic through the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program, Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, and additional support recently passed in the American Rescue Plan.
“Growing up in an entrepreneurial family, I learned firsthand the ins and outs of managing a business from my father and gained an appreciation for the challenges small business owners face every day. Throughout my public and private sector career, I have been dedicated to helping small businesses grow and succeed,” said Administrator Guzman. “Now more than ever, our impacted small businesses need our support, and the SBA stands ready to help them reopen and thrive.”
“I am excited to return to the SBA and serve as the voice of small business in the Biden-Harris Administration. I am committed to championing the Agency’s mission and helping equitably build back the economy,” Administrator Guzman continued. “I also look forward to working with the dedicated team of SBA professionals to ensure that the SBA creates and sustains inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems for all of our diverse small businesses across the nation to thrive.”
This is Administrator Guzman’s second tenure at the SBA. She served in the Obama Administration as a Senior Advisor and the Deputy Chief of Staff, where she oversaw the SBA’s adoption of improved policies, technology, and program initiatives to make SBA more accessible to entrepreneurs of all backgrounds.
Most recently, she served as the Director of California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate, where she served California’s four million small businesses, which employ 7.1 million Californians, the largest state network of small businesses in the country. Before her public service career, Administrator Guzman was a small business entrepreneur herself and an advisor to fellow founders, including in accelerating technology commercialization and in helping small business contractors leverage the federal marketplace.
