UPDATE | Isabella Casillas Guzman Confirmed as 27th SBA Administrator
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.
Below is a video featuring Ms. Guzman we produced for the 2020 Faith Base Summit produced by AMPAC Business Capital.
From President Elect Biden Transition Website – January 7, 2021
Today, President-elect Joe Biden announced additional key members of his economic and jobs team: Governor Gina Raimondo, nominee for Secretary of Commerce; Mayor Marty Walsh, nominee for Secretary of Labor; Isabel Guzman, nominee for Small Business Administrator; and Don Graves, nominee for Deputy Secretary of Commerce. With two dozen cabinet nominees announced, President-elect Biden has put forward the most diverse cabinet in American history — all tested, dedicated public servants ready to lead on day one.
This experienced team will advance the President-elect’s Build Back Better agenda, digging us out from the worst jobs crisis in nearly a century by supporting small businesses, dramatically increasing union density, and rebuilding the backbone of America — our middle class. The nominees announced today will usher in a new wave of worker power, help struggling small businesses recover and re-open, and put Americans back to work by creating millions of good-paying union jobs. They will be partners to the President-elect in building a stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive economy that delivers every American a fair return for their work and an equal chance to get ahead.
Isabel Guzman is nominated to serve as Small Business Administrator. Currently serving as Director of California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate and a key leader in the state’s COVID-19 economic recovery, she works closely with entrepreneurs to help them weather the pandemic and support innovation, job creation, and economic growth in the nation’s largest state network of small businesses. A former senior advisor and deputy chief of staff at the SBA — and a small business entrepreneur herself — she is a passionate advocate for small businesses who knows firsthand the opportunities they create for families and communities.
Isabel Guzman currently serves as the Director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate within the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). A lifelong proponent of small businesses, Guzman grew up as the daughter of a small business owner and served within the Obama-Biden Administration as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor in the U.S. Small Business Administration. In her current role, Guzman helps connect entrepreneurs in every community with the resources and capital needed for success, and supports small businesses to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. She serves as the voice of small businesses and innovative startups to help them access capital, markets and networks. In addition to overseeing a network of small business centers, Guzman’s office has launched the Shop Safe Shop Local initiative aimed at helping small businesses reopen safely, and its Get Digital CA initiative to help businesses adopt technology to safely and successfully operate in the pandemic.
Prior to her career in public service, Guzman was a small business entrepreneur herself, an advisor to fellow founders, and an advisor at ProAmérica Bank, the first California-chartered Latino-formed business bank to form in Los Angeles in over 35 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
More about Ms. Guzman
Isabel Guzman currently serves as the Director of the Office of the Small Business Advocate within the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz). A lifelong proponent of small businesses, Guzman grew up as the daughter of a small business owner and served within the Obama-Biden Administration as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor in the U.S. Small Business Administration. In her current role, Guzman helps connect entrepreneurs in every community with the resources and capital needed for success, and supports small businesses to weather the COVID-19 pandemic. She serves as the voice of small businesses and innovative startups to help them access capital, markets and networks. In addition to overseeing a network of small business centers, Guzman’s office has launched the Shop Safe Shop Local initiative aimed at helping small businesses reopen safely, and its Get Digital CA initiative to help businesses adopt technology to safely and successfully operate in the pandemic.
Prior to her career in public service, Guzman was a small business entrepreneur herself, an advisor to fellow founders, and an advisor at ProAmérica Bank, the first California-chartered Latino-formed business bank to form in Los Angeles in over 35 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.
Hispanic Lifestyle congratulates and
