The U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) announced the selection of Jane A. Sawyer as the new district director of the Hawaii District office in December 2009.
Sawyer oversees all activities of the federal agency, from loans and lending relations with financial institutions to small business training and counseling assistance through SBA resource partners such as the Small Business Development Centers, SCORE, and Women’s Business Centers. In addition, she will work to ensure small businesses get their fair share of government procurements through the use of SBA’s contracting programs and certifications.
Sawyer joined SBA in 1993 as the Assistant District Director for Business Development to manage the delivery of programs providing training, counseling and technical assistance to nascent and existing small businesses. During her tenure, the Hawaii District Office provided new opportunities for small business owners by expanding outreach, developing innovative resources such as the Business Information and Counseling Centers, establishing two additional Small Business Development Centers (Guam and American Samoa) and two Women’s Business Centers (Hawaii and American Samoa), and creating strategic alliances with business and economic development organizations. She has been responsible for public communications, marketing and media relations as well as the successful annual SBA Small Business Awards program.
Sawyer will manage a team of 13 managers and business specialists at the Hawaii District and Guam Branch offices. The district territory includes the State of Hawaii as well as American Samoa, Guam and other affiliated Pacific Islands.
In Fiscal Year 2009, the Hawaii district office guaranteed 420 loans with a value of $55.5 million. With a broad range of business consulting, workshops and seminars, the office also assisted more than 10,300 small business owners and entrepreneurs, directly and with their funded resource partners. The 8(a) Business Development and Government Contracting programs provided support for a portfolio of approximately 170 firms with $231,642,420 in federal contracting awards in the last year.
A Hawaii resident since 1983, Sawyer brings previous experience in education and curriculum development, sales and marketing as well as small business ownership to her new position. Sawyer is a graduate of the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. She currently resides in Kaneohe.
You can email Jane Sawyer at jane.sawyer@sba.gov.
