Francisco Sánchez Jr.

Francisco Sánchez Jr. is the Associate Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Disaster Recovery & Resilience (ODR&R). He was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden, making him the first non-banker and presidential appointee to hold this position. In his role, Francisco is responsible for elevating the priority of business and economic recovery by revamping the agency’s disaster enterprise to better support America's 33 million small businesses, renters, and homeowners, providing them with the necessary resources to weather any storm and emerge stronger than ever.

Associate Administrator Sánchez has extensive experience in emergency management, recovery, and strategic planning. He has served on command staff for four of the nation’s ten most costly natural disasters and previously served at the Harris County (Texas) Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, where he led a range of initiatives such as strategic development, planning, public affairs, and community preparedness. As a lifelong Texan, he played a key role in responding to major natural disasters, including historic hurricanes like Katrina, Rita, Ike, and Harvey, as well as flooding, wildfires, and major industrial incidents, which led to an average of one presidentially declared disaster every nine months.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston and has a master's degree in Public Administration from Sam Houston State University. He also received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015.

Under Associate Administrator Sánchez's leadership at ODR&R, the agency is undertaking bold new initiatives to inextricably tie recovery to resilience. This includes addressing key issues such as climate change, mitigation, diversity and equity, and improving the customer service experience.