Maria Contreras-Sweet
| Maria Contreras-Sweet | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 24th Administrator of the Small Business Administration | |
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In office April 7, 2014 – January 20, 2017 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Marianne Markowitz (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Linda McMahon |
| California Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Agency | |
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In office January 4, 1999 – November 17, 2003 |
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| Governor | Gray Davis |
| Preceded by | Dean Dunphy |
| Succeeded by | Sunny McPeak |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1955 (age 61–62) Guadalajara, Mexico |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | California State University, Los Angeles (BA) |
Maria Contreras-Sweet (born 1955) served as the 24th Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017. She was formerly the executive chairwoman and founder of ProAmérica Bank, a commercial bank focusing on small to mid-sized businesses with a specialty in the Latino community. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Contreras-Sweet immigrated to Los Angeles, California and has since been involved in both the private sector founding a private equity firm and in public service as the California Secretary of Business, Transportation, and Housing under Governor Gray Davis.
On January 15, 2014, she was nominated by President Barack Obama to join his Cabinet as head of the Small Business Administration. She was confirmed as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration by voice vote on March 27, 2014. She assumed that role on April 7, 2014.
Contreras-Sweet entered the private sector as the Director of Public Affairs for Westinghouse’s 7-Up / RC Bottling Company and rose to Vice-President of Public Affairs. During her tenure with the company, they grew their portfolio to include other beverage companies such as Evian, Perrier, Sunkist, Lipton, and several others. Contreras-Sweet became one of the leading corporate negotiators for the creation of the Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act of 1986 which introduced the California Redemption Value for bottles and the mass expansion of the recycling system in the state. Contreras-Sweet was a part of the management leveraged buy-out of the Bottling Company, becoming an equity partner.
Maria Contreras-Sweet started the Contreras-Sweet Company, a marketing and research consulting firm with a specialization in the Latino market. Her clients included The Coca-Cola Company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Hoechst AG, The Walt Disney Company, and Sempra Energy.
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