# Administrator of the Small Business Administration

The administrator of the Small Business Administration is the head of the Small Business Administration of the United States. The administrator is responsible for managing and the day-to-day operations of the agency. The administrator is nominated by the president of the United States and must be confirmed by a vote of the Senate.
In January 2012, President Barack Obama announced that the SBA administrator would be elevated to Cabinet rank, a position it last held during the Clinton Administration.
The most recent confirmed administrator was Kelly Loeffler, who was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate on February 20, 2025.

## List of administrators

The following is a chronological list of those who have held the office:
| No. | Name | Start | End | President(s) |
| 1 | William D. Mitchell | August 1, 1953 | October 30, 1953 | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
| 2 | Wendell B. Barnes | February 9, 1954 | November 21, 1959 | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
| 3 | Philip McCallum | November 23, 1959 | January 20, 1961 | Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961) |
| 4 | John E. Horne | February 2, 1961 | August 7, 1963 | John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) |
| 5 | Eugene P. Foley | August 8, 1963 | September 10, 1965 | John F. Kennedy (1961–1963) |
| 5 | Eugene P. Foley | August 8, 1963 | September 10, 1965 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| 6 | Bernard L. Boutin | May 19, 1966 | July 31, 1967 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| 7 | Robert C. Moot | August 1, 1967 | July 31, 1968 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| 8 | Howard J. Samuels | August 1, 1968 | February 22, 1969 | Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969) |
| 9 | Hilary J. Sandoval Jr. | March 5, 1969 | January 1, 1971 | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) |
| 10 | Thomas S. Kleppe | January 18, 1971 | October 12, 1975 | Richard Nixon (1969–1974) |
| 10 | Thomas S. Kleppe | January 18, 1971 | October 12, 1975 | Gerald Ford (1974–1977) |
| 11 | Mitchell P. Kobelinski | February 12, 1976 | March 4, 1977 | Gerald Ford (1974–1977) |
| 12 | A. Vernon Weaver | April 1, 1977 | January 20, 1981 | Jimmy Carter (1977–1981) |
| 13 | Michael Cardenas | March 30, 1981 | February 3, 1982 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| 14 | James C. Sanders | March 29, 1982 | March 31, 1986 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| – | Charles Heatherly Acting | March 31, 1986 | March 23, 1987 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| 15 | James Abdnor | March 23, 1987 | April 20, 1989 | Ronald Reagan (1981–1989) |
| 16 | Susan Engeleiter | April 20, 1989 | March 27, 1991 | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
| 17 | Pat Saiki | March 27, 1991 | January 20, 1993 | George H. W. Bush (1989–1993) |
| – | Dayton J. Watkins Acting | January 20, 1993 | May 12, 1993 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| 18 | Erskine Bowles | May 12, 1993 | October 6, 1994 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| – | Cassandra M. Pulley Acting | October 6, 1994 | October 8, 1994 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| 19 | Philip Lader | October 8, 1994 | February 11, 1997 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| – | Ginger Lew Acting | February 11, 1997 | March 7, 1997 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| 20 | Aída Álvarez | March 7, 1997 | January 20, 2001 | Bill Clinton (1993–2001) |
| – | John D. Whitmore Acting | January 20, 2001 | July 25, 2001 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| 21 | Hector Barreto | July 25, 2001 | July 2, 2006 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| 22 | Steve Preston | July 10, 2006 | June 5, 2008 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| – | Sandy Baruah Acting | June 5, 2008 | January 20, 2009 | George W. Bush (2001–2009) |
| – | Darryl Hairston Acting | January 20, 2009 | April 6, 2009 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| 23 | Karen Mills | April 6, 2009 | September 1, 2013 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| – | Jeanne Hulit Acting | September 1, 2013 | February 7, 2014 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| – | Marianne Markowitz Acting | February 7, 2014 | April 7, 2014 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| 24 | Maria Contreras-Sweet | April 7, 2014 | January 20, 2017 | Barack Obama (2009–2017) |
| – | Joseph Loddo Acting | January 20, 2017 | February 14, 2017 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| 25 | Linda McMahon | February 14, 2017 | April 12, 2019 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| – | Chris Pilkerton Acting | April 13, 2019 | January 14, 2020 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| 26 | Jovita Carranza | January 14, 2020 | January 20, 2021 | Donald Trump (2017–2021) |
| – | Tami Perriello Acting | January 20, 2021 | March 17, 2021 | Joe Biden (2021–2025) |
| 27 | Isabel Guzman | March 17, 2021 | January 20, 2025 | Joe Biden (2021–2025) |
| – | Everett Woodel Acting | January 20, 2025 | February 20, 2025 | Donald Trump (2025–present) |
| 28 | Kelly Loeffler | February 20, 2025 | Present | Donald Trump (2025–present) |

## Line of succession

The line of succession for the administrator of the Small Business Administration is as follows:
* Chief of Staff
* General Counsel
* Associate Administrator; Office of Capital Access
* Associate Administrator, Office of Disaster Assistance
* Regional Administrator for Region IX (Phoenix, Arizona)
* Regional Administrator for Region VIII (Denver, Colorado)