[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 23 (Thursday, February 6, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S815-S816]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING JEANNE HULIT

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise today to ask my colleagues to 
join me in recognizing Jeanne Hulit, who is

[[Page S816]]

leaving her position as Acting Administrator of the U.S. Small Business 
Administration tomorrow. Ms. Hulit is returning to the private sector 
after more than 4 years of service to her country at SBA. She stepped 
up last year when former Administrator Karen Mills stepped down, 
staying on for longer than anticipated to ensure that the government 
agency responsible for helping America's nearly 28 million small 
businesses had the leadership it needed. We should thank her for 
honoring her commitment to America's entrepreneurs.
  Prior to assuming the role of Acting Administrator, Ms. Hulit served 
as Associate Administrator for SBA's Office of Capital Access since 
February 2012, where she was responsible for advising SBA Administrator 
Karen Mills and overseeing the agency's loan programs. During her 
tenure at SBA, the agency saw its two highest years of small business 
lending on record.
  Ms. Hulit's service at SBA began in 2009 when she was appointed to 
serve as SBA's New England Regional Administrator. As Regional 
Administrator, she was responsible for carrying out SBA's core mission 
of assisting small businesses with the ``three C's''--capital, 
contracting and counseling--in six New England States.
  Prior to joining SBA, Ms. Hulit spent 18 years in banking, serving as 
senior vice president for commercial lending at Citizens Bank, vice 
president and middle market lender at KeyBank, and manager of KeyBank's 
International Banking Division. Prior to that, she served as deputy 
director of the International Division at the Maine Department of 
Economic and Community Development. Ms. Hulit has also held a number of 
civic and economic leadership roles, including her tenure as a founder 
and chair of the Maine International Trade Center and her service as 
chair for the University of Southern Maine Board of Visitors.
  Ms. Hulit's experience in both the public and private sector and her 
expertise in lending gave her unique insight into the importance of 
getting capital into the hands of entrepreneurs. This came across 
clearly in her success at SBA. During her time at SBA, the agency 
supported more than $126 billion in lending to more than 260,000 small 
businesses and entrepreneurs. This includes two record years of 
delivering more than $30 billion annually in loans in fiscal year 2011 
and fiscal year 2012 and more than $29 billion in 2013.
  Later this month, Ms. Hulit will be moving back home to Maine and 
taking a job at Northeast Bank. While it is tough to see the SBA lose 
such a talented and loyal public servant and America's small businesses 
lose a tireless advocate, I am happy to see her get to return home to 
pursue this great opportunity. I wish her all the best in this and 
future endeavors, and I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking her 
for her loyal and dedicated service at SBA.

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