WASHINGTON – Today, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s 32.5 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, issued the following statement praising the appointment of additional key Biden-Harris Administration appointees to the SBA within the Office of Disaster Assistance. These experienced leaders will play a critical role in reorienting the Agency to help small businesses prepare for increasing threats from climate change before natural disasters strike, a priority under the Biden-Harris Administration and Administrator Guzman.
“As climate change has increased the frequency and scale of wildfires, droughts, floods, and other natural disasters, our SBA Office of Disaster Assistance has been working diligently to serve the growing needs of impacted communities, and I am excited to welcome two seasoned professionals in emergency management who will help lead and support this critical work,” said Administrator Guzman. “The greatest asset we have at the SBA is our world-class team, and we're making that team even stronger with the addition of Associate Administrator Francisco Sanchez Jr., who will lead the team with the support of his Senior Advisor Warren D. Miller, to help the SBA revamp our disaster assistance and resources and ensure America’s 32.5 million small businesses and countless renters and homeowners can access the recovery and mitigation resources they need to weather any storm and build back better than ever.”
Appointees and their roles are listed per office below:
Office of Disaster Assistance
Francisco Sanchez Jr., Associate Administrator. Before the SBA, Mr. Sanchez served as Deputy Homeland Security and Emergency Management Coordinator for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, leading strategic development, planning, public affairs, and community preparedness initiatives for Texas’ largest county. Under his leadership, the county has responded to historic hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and major industrial incidents - averaging a presidentially-declared disaster every nine months. In addition, Mr. Sanchez has served as a leader or member of several emergency response efforts, including Incident Commander for the initial Harris County emergency management response to COVID-19 and on the FEMA National Advisory Council-Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Subcommittee, as well as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike. He is a graduate of the University of Houston and Sam Houston State University.
Warren D. Miller, Senior Advisor. Prior to the SBA, Mr. Miller served as a key policy advisor to the FEMA Administrator and Vice-Chair of Equity on the FEMA National Advisory Council (NAC), the Biden-Harris presidential campaign’s State Campaign Director for Mississippi, and in the United States Congress. As a small business owner, he also led the implementation of E-911 radio communications systems onto the statewide communications network for several municipalities. Since 2005, he has been actively engaged in large-scale disaster responses and recovery, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike, Sandy, Irene, and Harvey, numerous tornadoes, winter storms, and major floods such as the historic Mississippi River flood, as well as participating on National Level Exercises (NLE11) New Madrid Earthquake and National Mass Care Task Force planning. Mr. Miller has also been recognized for his service on various boards and through awards, including the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (National VOAD) Board of Directors. He is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., and a recipient of the Elder Watson Diggs Award, the fraternity’s second-highest national service honor for a member. He is a proud alumnus of the University of Southern Mississippi.
The newest appointees join previously announced appointees and thousands of SBA career public servants working tirelessly to equitably deliver economic relief to America’s small businesses, innovative startups, and disaster-impacted communities and execute Administrator Guzman’s priorities as the agency reimagines itself to better support entrepreneurs at all stages of their life cycles in a post-COVID world.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the Federal Government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.