SBA Deputy Administrator Confirmed by Senate

June 22, 2010

Marie Collins Johns was confirmed this week by unanimous consent to be deputy administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by the United States Senate. President Barack Obama nominated her for the post in December 2009.

Johns retired in 2004 as president of Verizon Washington, DC, having worked for the company for 21 years. As president, she led the company’s $700 million regional operation and was heavily involved in regulatory lobbying. During her tenure, she also founded the Washington DC Technology Council and served as chair of the DC Chamber of Commerce.

Following her retirement from Verizon, she founded L&L Consulting, LLC, a firm that offers management services to public, private and social sector clients, and unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in Washington, DC’s 2006 mayoral election.

Johns holds BS and MPA degrees from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.