James E. House

James E. House was appointed to the position of Director, USDA National Office of Small and Disadvantaged Utilization on December 31, 2001. He successfully served in this capacity during the last 2 years of the George H. W. Bush Administration from 1991 through January 1993, as USDA Associate Director of the Office of Advocacy and Enterprise, responsible for the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization.

House comes to this position with years of experience as an Entrepreneur and Economic Development Consultant. Just prior to returning to USDA, House served as President of the Eckenberge Group, a professional services firm based in Bowie, MD, which provided marketing assistance services to small businesses, large Federal prime contractors, state governments and historically black colleges and universities. The Eckenberge Group was selected by the Small Business Administration as an SBA Private Certifier for its National Small and Disadvantaged Business Certification Program mandated by the Congress. As President of the National Association of African American Business Owners, he led that organization into national prominence as an effective leading advocate for small business development.

As a member of a task force composed of trade association representatives, House participated in the drafting of subcontracting provisions of Public Law 95-507. Signed into law in 1978, this law amended the Small Business Act and subsequently created the Offices of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization in most Federal departments with significant acquisition authority.

House began his career as an engineer in the aerospace industry where he worked on the design, development and testing of military fighters and commercial airplanes. The last project in which he was involved before getting into small business development was the 1970 successful certification of Boeing’s 747, the first commercial jumbo-sized passenger aircraft.

House has received numerous awards, honors and citations. He is a native of Wayne County, Goldsboro, N.C., and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University in Washington, D.C.