FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 11, 2021

HACU statement on President-elect Joe Biden’s nomination of Isabel Guzman to head the U.S. Small Business Administration

San Antonio, Texas – The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has released the following statement on the nomination by President-elect Joe Biden for Isabel Guzman to lead the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which helps small business owners and entrepreneurs pursue the American dream.

Guzman is the director of California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate. She is currently helping to coordinate California’s economic recovery plan amid the COVID-19 crisis. She served as senior advisor and deputy chief of staff of the SBA during the Obama Administration.

“The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities commends President-elect Joe Biden in his selection of Isabel Guzman as his nominee for Administrator of the SBA,” said HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores. “As the daughter of a small business owner and an entrepreneur prior to working in public service, she knows first-hand the needs of small business. Her experience is particularly important and timely because Hispanic women are the fastest growing segment of entrepreneurs. We are confident she will be a champion for Hispanic-Serving Institutions as incubators of small businesses and develop small-business owners,” added Flores.

Prior to her career in public service, Guzman was a small business entrepreneur and an advisor to fellow founders, such as ProAmérica Bank, the first California-chartered Latino-owned bank in Los Angeles in over 35 years. She earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business.

“HACU pledges its support to ensure her confirmation by the U.S. Senate when she is formally nominated,” stated Flores.

About HACU
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain, and school districts throughout the U.S. The Association’s headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Sacramento, California and Washington, D.C. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Additional information is available at www.hacu.net.