Maria Contreras-Sweet was born on 1955 and is an American businesswoman and former government official who served as the 24th Administrator of the Small Business Administration from 2014 to 2017.
31 Facts About Maria Contreras-Sweet
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was the executive chairwoman and founder of ProAmerica Bank, a commercial bank focusing on small to mid-sized businesses with a specialty in the Latino community.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was confirmed as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration by voice vote on March 27,2014.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet's mother worked at a chicken packaging plant in El-Monte, California to support the family.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet became one of the leading corporate negotiators for the creation of the Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act of 1986 which introduced the California Redemption Value for bottles and the mass expansion of the recycling system in the state.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was a part of the management leveraged buy-out of the Bottling Company, becoming an equity partner.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet started the Contreras-Sweet Company, a marketing and research consulting firm with a specialization in the Latino market.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet's clients included The Coca-Cola Company, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Hoechst AG, The Walt Disney Company, and Sempra Energy.
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In 2006, Maria Contreras-Sweet became the Founding Chairwoman of the first Latino-formed commercial bank in California in over 35 years, ProAmerica Bank.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet recruited such notable co-organizers as Henry Cisneros, Edward P Roski, Alex Chaves, and Solomon Trujillo.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet used her time with him to gain exposure and understanding of the state legislative process.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was appointed by Governor Gray Davis to be Cabinet Secretary of the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, becoming the first Latina to be named Cabinet Secretary in United States history.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was confirmed as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration by voice vote on March 27,2014.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet is the Founding President of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality.
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HOPE celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2009 with a special banquet and video presentation that featured Maria Contreras-Sweet sharing the progress the organization has made through the years.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was appointed by the United States Senate to the original Federal Glass Ceiling Commission.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet is a Founding Director of The California Endowment, a multibillion-dollar philanthropic foundation.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was an elected member of the Board of Directors for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association of California during the critical years of its turn-around period and transition to WellPoint.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was selected to serve on the Harvard Women's Leadership Board, which advises Harvard University on women's issues and supports research opportunities for female professors.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet serves on PepsiCo's Ethnic Advisory Board, which executives turn to for consulting on marketing, employment, health, environment, and procurement opportunities.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet serves on the Milken Institute's California Advisory Board which studies key policy and economic topics that affect California's well-being.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet is an executive member of the Board of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce.
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In November 2017, Maria Contreras-Sweet joined the LA-based Larta Institute as the first-ever to help champion and advance the commercialization of science.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet is a member of the board of Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet served for 10 years as a Board Member and 2 years as the Chairwoman of the Board of the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was appointed to the Board of the Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension Commission.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was a member of the Independent System Operator executive board for California.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet was a member of the Rebuild Los Angeles board, which was formed to provide economic development in the southern portion of Los Angeles after the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet spearheaded the committee that produced the "Latinas: The Spirit of California" Exhibition featured at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.
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Maria Contreras-Sweet proposed turning The Weinstein Company into a female-led company.
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The studio was expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 26,2018 before Maria Contreras-Sweet's company reached a deal to purchase the company on March 1,2018 for $500 million, including a $90 million victims compensation fund.