Bridget Bean, U.S. Small Business Administration
Acting Regional Administrator;
District Director, Washington Metro Area District Office
Bridget Bean is the Acting Regional Administrator for the United States Small Business Administration and District Director of the Washington Metro Area District Office. As Regional Administrator for Region 3, Bean is responsible for the delivery and management of SBA’s small business programs, financial assistance, and business development program initiatives throughout the region.
The Region III office, headquartered near Philadelphia in King of Prussia, Pa., serves a population approaching 29.5 million in the seven SBA district offices of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pa.; Wilmington, Del.; Baltimore, Md.; Clarksburg, W.V.; Richmond, Va., and Washington, D.C. Bean manages a field staff of more than 100 loan, business, and community outreach specialists. Bean works cooperatively with local lenders and successful firms across the region, overseeing more than $34.2 billion in federal government contracts for goods and services purchased from local entrepreneurs.
During Bean’s tenure as District Director, the SBA Washington Metro Area team has dramatically increased opportunities for local small businesses to compete for, and earn, contracts with Federal Government agencies. In addition, operations have become greatly streamlined and more efficient, and the District Office has a renewed focus on customer service.
Bean was named District Director of the SBA Washington Metropolitan Area District Office in 2009. This promotion followed five years of service as Deputy Assistant Administrator for Field Operations, during which she oversaw government compliance for all 68 of SBA’s district offices and led a cross-disciplinary team to eliminate the backlog of disaster assistance loans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The daily contact this posting afforded with all of the SBA District Directors allowed her to identify and study the best practices of the most effective offices in the agency – practices she has implemented in the Washington Metro Area office.
During her time with SBA, Bean has held leadership positions in key areas such as procurement, field operations, and the Office of the Inspector General. The direct experience that she has gained in small business government procurement and contracting, advocacy, and business development policy, has been a great boon to the small businesses in her district. Her knowledge of economic development issues has made Bridget Bean a subject matter expert on a wide range of business topics. She is frequently called upon as a source for journalists working in every medium, including the New York Times, The Washington Business Journal, Fox News, and online streaming- video newscasts.
An alumnus of George Mason University, Bean is a member of the U.S. Government Senior Executive Service, a Graduate of the SES Candidate Program and was named to the Council for Excellence during her participation in the Government Fellows Program.