SBA - Key Persons

Aditi Dussault

Job Titles:

Senior Advisor
Senior Advisor to the Office

Aditi Dussault serves as Senior Advisor to the Office of the Administrator. Ms. Dussault is returning to the SBA after five years of working in the private sector as an entrepreneur and consultant to small business federal contractors. Prior to establishing her consulting practice, Ms. Dussault served in various roles at the SBA under the Obama Administration, supporting the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development (GCBD)'s systems modernization, the launch of the Small Business Mentor-Protege Program, and improvements and expansion of the Woman Owned Small Business Program. Ms. Dussault's entire professional career has been dedicated to advancing the cause of entrepreneurs of all backgrounds. Before her first tenure at the SBA, she worked at the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), advocating for the inclusion of Women's Business Enterprises in corporate supply chains. She began her career at the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), where she supported the initial launch of the private-sector certification for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and/or Transgender-Owned Business Enterprises. She attended American University.

Adriene Brown

Job Titles:

District Director

Aikta Marcoulier

Job Titles:

Region VIII Administrator
Regional Administrator
Regional Administrator / Rocky Mountain Regional Office

Ms. Marcoulier joined the Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network as the Executive Director of the Pikes Peak office in May 2012. Prior to the SBDC, she was the director of partnership marketing with the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. She is also the program creator and manager of the Colorado SBDC's Cyber: Cover Your Assets program providing education, training, and one-on-one consulting to small businesses throughout Colorado, and currently serves as a regional coordinator for the NorthStar CMM program. Ms. Marcoulier is involved in the El Pomar Emerging Leaders Program and is an active board member of the Pikes Peak Workforce Development Board, vice-chair of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado, member of the Pikes Peak Community College Business Advisory Board, and president of the Colorado Business Development Foundation. She serves on numerous committees for the Colorado Springs Business Journal and is on the technology and capacity committees for the Colorado SBDC Network. Additionally, she is a member of ROAR (Relationships, Opportunities, Acumen, and Readiness Committee) for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS) College of Business. She received her MBA in global management from the University of Phoenix and undergraduate degrees in both economics and psychology from the University of Iowa. As Region VIII Administrator, Aikta Marcoulier will oversee SBA programs, offices, and operations in the SBA's Rocky Mountain region, serving Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

Allen Thomas

Job Titles:

Regional Administrator
Regional Administrator / Southeast Regional Office

Mr. Thomas is a former three-term mayor, businessman, entrepreneur, and leader in public and private enterprise. As mayor of Greenville, one of North Carolina's largest cities, Mr. Thomas led the post-recession recovery, rapid expansion, and robust economic growth, better connecting the city and region. He was recognized by the White House during the Obama-Biden Administration for community engagement in law enforcement and public safety. A serial entrepreneur, Mr. Thomas co-founded healthcare technology startup IQMax, which grew to service 160 medical facilities in 36 states, processing 18 million patient records per day. Mr. Thomas was appointed Executive Director of North Carolina Global TransPark by the Governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper, to revitalize the state's global multimodal transportation and logistics hub, spearheading growth in advanced manufacturing jobs, innovation, and investment.

Andrea Deadwyler

Job Titles:

Assistant Inspector General for Audits

Andrea Deadwyler is the Assistant Inspector General for Audits at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), Office of Inspector General (OIG). Mrs. Deadwyler has more than 30 years of government experience, 19 of those years in the Inspector General community. Mrs. Deadwyler joined the SBA OIG in 2014 as the Director of the Credit Programs Group, responsible for directing audits of the Credit and Disaster Loan Programs. Prior to joining SBA, Mrs. Deadwyler was an Audit Director for the U.S. Postal Service OIG, conducting and directing a wide range of audits of Postal Service Programs and Operations, including Human Resources, Security, Emergency Preparedness, and Environmental Sustainability. Before beginning her career in auditing, Mrs. Deadwyler spent a short time working as a Business Opportunity Specialist with SBA, and several years as a contracting officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Mrs. Deadwyler is a native of Washington, DC and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration (Banking and Finance) and a Master's degree in Public Administration from Bowie State University.

Arthur Plews

Job Titles:

Chief of Staff

Mr. Plews has been selected to serve as Chief of Staff in the Office of the Administrator, at the U.S. Small Business Administration. In this role, Mr. Plews is responsible for providing advice, guidance, and assistance to the Administrator and other key agency officials in multiple program areas to ensure strategic execution, analysis, and coordination. He will actively participate in both internal and external coordination of programs and policy development for existing, evolving, and new agency-wide programs. Prior to this role, Mr. Plews worked at Stripe, a financial technology company and payment provider, from 2017 to 2021 where he helped direct a series of strategic business initiatives across different pillars of the company. Mr. Plews previously served at SBA from 2014 to 2017, first as a Policy Advisor and then as Chief Innovation Officer. In addition to his experience, Mr. Plews has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.

Bailey G. DeVries

Job Titles:

Administrator
Associate
Acting Associate Administrator and Head of the Office of Capital Access
Associate Administrator ( Acting )

Ms. DeVries serves as the Associate Administrator and Head of the Office of Investment and Innovation where she leads the Agency's portfolio of private investment partnerships and innovation funding programs. These programs include the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program, the Small Business Innovation Research and Technology Transfer Programs (SBIR/STTR), and SBA's innovation ecosystem support organization (ESO) development programs including the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC) and the Federal and State Technology Partnership Program (FAST). Ms. DeVries also serves as the Acting Associate Administrator and Head of the Office of Capital Access where she leads the Agency's portfolio of loan and surety bond programs including SBA's flagship 7(a) Business Loan Guaranty Program, the 504 Certified Development Company Loan Program, the Microloan Program, and the Surety Bond Guaranty Program. Ms. DeVries comes to the SBA after a private sector career in the asset management and defense industries. She has served in leadership and executive roles while at T. Rowe Price, Greenspring Associates (now Stepstone), Trail Mix Ventures, and Sotera Defense. She began her career at the strategy and management consulting firm, CEB (now Gartner Research). Ms. DeVries holds an M.B.A. from Georgetown University, an M.S. from Northwestern University, and a B.A. from Wake Forest University.  She serves on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee.

Barack H. Obama - President

Job Titles:

President

Brian Grossman

Job Titles:

Assistant Inspector General for Technology Solutions

Brian Grossman is the Assistant Inspector General for Technology Solutions at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) - Office of Inspector General (OIG). Mr. Grossman previously served in dual roles as the senior advisor to the Inspector General and the Executive Director of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC). He also previously served as SBA OIG's Assistant Inspector General for Investigations. Prior to joining the SBA OIG, Mr. Grossman was the Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Investigations at the Department of State (DOS) OIG with executive management over world-wide law enforcement / criminal investigative and operational functions. He also served as the DOS OIG Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the Middle East, Europe and Africa Division. Mr. Grossman has also served as a senior special agent and SAC in OIG's with the Department of Defense and Department of the Interior. Mr. Grossman has more than 38 years experience in conducting, supervising and managing criminal investigations in both federal law enforcement and the United States Army. He began his law enforcement career in 1984 with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigations Division (CID), where he investigated and supervised a myriad of investigations including homicide and other violent crimes, undercover drug operations and fraud in offices located both in the US and Germany. Before retiring from the Army in 2003, after serving on active duty for 28 years, he had served in numerous leadership positions including Special Agent in Charge, Operations Officer and Commander. Mr. Grossman also spent tours in combat and on peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, as well as two tours as a supervisory special agent on the protective detail for the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Mr. Grossman has received numerous awards and commendations throughout his career including the Department of Defense OIG's Meritorious Service Award. Mr. Grossman's military awards and decorations include the Bronze Star. He is a native of Indianapolis, Indiana and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Excelsior College.

Bruce Purdy

Job Titles:

Administrator
Associate
Associate Administrator for the Office of Small Business Development Centers

Bruce Purdy serves as Associate Administrator for the Office of Small Business Development Centers. In this role he leads the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) program designed to deliver professional, high quality, individualized business advising and technical assistance to existing small businesses and pre-venture entrepreneurs. He will be responsible for providing oversight and support of the nationwide network of SBDCs. Mr. Purdy has nearly 25 years of experience at the SBA, serving in a variety of leadership roles including serving as the Chief of the Microenterprise Development Branch (2005 - 2006), Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Office of Women's Business Ownership (2010 - 2018), Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Small Business Development Centers (2018 - 2019), and most recently as the Deputy Director for the HUBZone Program (2019 - 2022). Prior to joining SBA, Mr. Purdy worked at the Ohio State University Extension program serving in a dual role as both Community and Economic Development Agent and President of the Williams County Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Purdy holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from Bowling Green State University, where he also completed his undergraduate studies in International Relations and Russian Studies.

Catherine Marx

Job Titles:

District Director

Christina Hale

Job Titles:

Assistant Administrator

Christina Hale serves as Assistant Administrator for the Office of Women's Business Ownership. Prior to this role, she served as the Associate Administrator for the Office of Communications and Public Liaison (OCPL), where she provided executive leadership and direction to OCPL operations and nationwide programs. She has more than 20 years of executive experience working with business leaders in government and civil society. Before joining the SBA, she served as Head of Communications at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, where she oversaw the Agency's strategic communications, including planning, development, and implementation. In 2012, she was elected to serve in the Indiana General Assembly, where she worked with a focus on supporting the success of employers, the workforce, and the economy. She has led teams, projects, and offices throughout the United States and several countries in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Ms. Hale was a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar and graduated from Purdue University.

Claire Ehmann

Job Titles:

Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of International Trade
Member of the Senior Executive Service

Claire Ehmann is the Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of International Trade where she is responsible for helping U.S. small businesses grow by reaching new customers in the global marketplace. Working with 21 U.S. Export Assistance Centers, SBA district offices, and public and private-sector partners, the Office of International Trade directs Export Loan Programs, the State Trade Expansion Program, and other trade assistance to encourage and assist U.S. small business exports. Claire Ehmann is a member of the Senior Executive Service with over 20 years of experience working on international issues. Before joining SBA, she served as the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID's) Deputy Director for Management Services, where she oversaw the Agency's operational readiness, workforce safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a wide range of management services including the Agency's real estate portfolio and planning efforts for the post-pandemic Future of Work. From 2015-16, she was selected as a White House Leadership Development Fellow and spent a year at the Office of Management and Budget, working on federal IT, open data, and data-driven decision making for the Federal Chief Information Officer. She has extensive experience working on international development policy and programs, research and evaluation, and developing public-private partnerships. Ms. Ehmann has a Master's Degree in International Public Affairs from the School for Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, was a Fulbright Scholar in Burkina Faso, and has a BA from the College of William & Mary.

Daniel Krupnick

Job Titles:

Counselor to the Administrator

Dante Acosta

Job Titles:

District Director

David Brown

Job Titles:

Director of Policy

Deborah Chen

Job Titles:

Deputy Chief Financial Officer ( Acting )

Destine Hicks

Job Titles:

White House Liaison

Diedra Henry-Spires

Job Titles:

Senior Advisor for COVID Programs

Dilawar Syed

Job Titles:

Deputy Administrator

Donald J. Trump - President

Job Titles:

President

Dwight D. Eisenhower - President

Job Titles:

President

E. Cooley

Hours of operation: Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed on all federal holidays. Serving Apache, Gila, Navajo, Graham, and Greenlee counties.