Maria Contreras-Sweet

Maria Contreras-Sweet, born in Guadalajara, Mexico in 1955, is the twenty-fourth administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and a member of President Obama’s cabinet. A successful executive and entrepreneur, she previously served as executive chairwoman and founder of ProAmerica Bank, which focused on serving businesses within the Latino community. Contreras-Sweet was also the first Latina to hold a state cabinet post in California, as the secretary of the state’s Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency. She was also the founding president of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality. Updated 2014