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 United States 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.ImageNameStartEndRefs.President(s)
1William D. MitchellAugust 1, 1953October 30, 1953Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
2Wendell B. BarnesFebruary 9, 1954November 21, 1959
3Philip McCallumNovember 23, 1959January 20, 1961
4John E. HorneFebruary 2, 1961August 7, 1963John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
5Eugene P. FoleyAugust 8, 1963September 10, 1965
Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
6Bernard L. BoutinMay 19, 1966July 31, 1967
7Robert C. MootAugust 1, 1967July 31, 1968
8Howard J. SamuelsAugust 1, 1968February 22, 1969
9Hilary J. Sandoval Jr.March 5, 1969January 1, 1971Richard Nixon (1969–1974)
10Thomas S. KleppeJanuary 18, 1971October 12, 1975
Gerald Ford (1974–1977)
11Mitchell P. KobelinskiFebruary 12, 1976March 4, 1977
12A. Vernon WeaverApril 1, 1977January 20, 1981Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
13Michael CardenasMarch 30, 1981February 3, 1982Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)
14James C. SandersMarch 29, 1982March 31, 1986
–Charles Heatherly ActingMarch 31, 1986March 23, 1987
15James AbdnorMarch 23, 1987April 20, 1989
16Susan EngeleiterApril 20, 1989March 27, 1991George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
17Pat SaikiMarch 27, 1991January 20, 1993
–Dayton J. Watkins ActingJanuary 20, 1993May 12, 1993Bill Clinton (1993–2001)
18Erskine BowlesMay 12, 1993October 6, 1994
–Cassandra M. Pulley ActingOctober 6, 1994October 8, 1994
19Philip LaderOctober 8, 1994February 11, 1997
–Ginger Lew ActingFebruary 11, 1997March 7, 1997
20Aída ÁlvarezMarch 7, 1997January 20, 2001
–John D. Whitmore ActingJanuary 20, 2001July 25, 2001George W. Bush (2001–2009)
21Hector BarretoJuly 25, 2001July 2, 2006
22Steve PrestonJuly 10, 2006June 5, 2008
–Sandy Baruah ActingJune 5, 2008January 20, 2009
–Darryl Hairston ActingJanuary 20, 2009April 6, 2009Barack Obama (2009–2017)
23Karen MillsApril 6, 2009September 1, 2013
–Jeanne Hulit ActingSeptember 1, 2013February 7, 2014
–Marianne Markowitz ActingFebruary 7, 2014April 7, 2014
24Maria Contreras-SweetApril 7, 2014January 20, 2017
–Joseph Loddo ActingJanuary 20, 2017February 14, 2017Donald Trump (2017–2021)
25Linda McMahonFebruary 14, 2017April 12, 2019
–Chris Pilkerton ActingApril 13, 2019January 14, 2020
26Jovita CarranzaJanuary 14, 2020January 20, 2021
–Tami Perriello ActingJanuary 20, 2021March 17, 2021Joe Biden (2021–2025)
27Isabel GuzmanMarch 17, 2021January 20, 2025
–Everett Woodel ActingJanuary 20, 2025February 20, 2025Donald Trump (2025–present)
28Kelly LoefflerFebruary 20, 2025present

Line of succession

The line of succession for the administrator of the Small Business Administration is as follows:

  1. Deputy Administrator
  2. Chief of Staff
  3. General Counsel
  4. Associate Administrator; Office of Capital Access
  5. Associate Administrator, Office of Disaster Assistance
  6. Regional Administrator for Region IX (Phoenix, Arizona)
  7. Regional Administrator for Region VIII (Denver, Colorado)