WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jovita Carranza recently completed her first month as administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Carranza, 70, was sworn as the 26th administrator of the SBA on Jan. 7, succeeding Linda McMahon, who stepped down as SBA administrator last April to become chair of America First Action, a pro-Donald Trump super […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Jovita Carranza recently completed her first month as administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Carranza, 70, was sworn as the 26th administrator of the SBA on Jan. 7, succeeding Linda McMahon, who stepped down as SBA administrator last April to become chair of America First Action, a pro-Donald Trump super PAC, or political action committee.
Carranza leads the only federal agency exclusively dedicated to assisting small-business owners and entrepreneurs in starting, growing, and expanding their businesses and providing targeted recovery support in declared disasters.
This is Carranza’s second tenure at the SBA, after having served in the George W. Bush administration as SBA’s deputy administrator from 2006-2009.
President Trump nominated Carranza to lead the SBA while she was serving as the treasurer of the U.S., the agency said. The U.S. Senate confirmed her nomination by a vote of 88-5.
“I want to thank the President for his confidence in me to be an advocate in the Cabinet for our country’s 30 million small businesses, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to the U.S. Senate for confirming me in a bipartisan fashion,” Carranza said in a statement. “I look forward to helping elevate female entrepreneurs and our military veterans, expanding access to SBA resources among entrepreneurs in disadvantaged communities, and continuing to prioritize disaster relief.”
Carranza’s experience includes a 30-year career with Atlanta, Georgia–based United Parcel Service (NYSE: UPS). She started as an hourly dock worker, rose to oversee operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, and ultimately retired as the “highest-ranking Latina” in the company’s history, the SBA said.
“The confirmation of Jovita Carranza to lead the SBA illustrates President Trump’s commitment to small business,” SBA Atlantic Regional Administrator Steve Bulger said. “She is the embodiment of the American Dream and knows first-hand that entrepreneurs create jobs and economic opportunity. We’re excited to welcome her back to lead our agency in helping entrepreneurs start, grow, and expand.”
In testimony on Dec. 11, 2019, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Carranza discussed her hands-on experience in the private sector, public service, and the “life-changing potential” of entrepreneurship, and pledged to preside over an agency focused on creating more opportunities for women and “historically underrepresented” entrepreneurs while ensuring the SBA remains prepared to assist displaced homeowners and small businesses impacted by disaster.
Carranza earned her MBA from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, and received executive, governance, management, and financial training at the INSEAD Business School in Paris, France; Michigan State University; and the University of Chicago, the SBA said.
