Maria Contreras-Sweet, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration, Washington, DC

Maria Contreras-Sweet became the 24th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and a member of President Obama’s cabinet on April 7, 2014. SBA is charged with supporting America’s small businesses, which create nearly two out of three net, new private-sector jobs in the economy, and employ half of the nation’s private-sector workforce.

Ms. Contreras-Sweet entered the private sector as the only female executive for Westinghouse’s 7-Up/RC Bottling Company. She was one of the leading corporate negotiators for the creation of California’s Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act, which led to the largest-ever expansion of the state’s recycling system. In recognition of this work, she was appointed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission to advocate for the advancement of women in corporate America.

Ms. Contreras-Sweet was a cabinet official in California, becoming the longest-serving cabinet Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing in state history. For five years, she oversaw 44,000 employees, a $14 billion budget, and 14 state departments. Upon re-entering the private sector, Ms. Contreras-Sweet set her sights on improving access to capital for small businesses. She founded a successful community bank in Los Angeles, CA, focused on financing small- and mid-size businesses, especially the region’s underserved entrepreneurs.