On October 23, 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Susan M. Walthall to be Acting Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Ms. Walthall brings a deep commitment to the office, having joined the Office of Advocacy in 1976 to help launch the newly created Office of Women in Business. In addition to prior service as Acting Chief Counsel (2001-2002), Susan has worked in senior level positions with three previous Senate-confirmed Chief Counsels. Through these positions, she has gained insight into the importance of the independence of the office and how each Chief Counsel has approached the office’s role.
Previous to accepting this role, Susan was SBA’s Director of Community Relations. In this position, she administered the SBA’s National Advisory Council, reached out to business and trade associations, and served as National Director of the SBA’s annual Small Business Week, as she has done for many years.
From 2002 to 2008, Susan was Deputy Associate Administrator for Field Operations. In this position, she directed nearly 1,700 employees and was an active participant in the SBA’s transformation process. Susan represented the SBA on the union negotiation team that successfully negotiated the SBA’s transformation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Partnership Agreement.
Ms. Walthall has 33 years experience in the SBA and worked as the Conference National Sponsor Liaison for the 1995 White House Conference on Small Business, raising more than $1 million in that effort. She has also served as Director of the SBA’s Executive Secretariat and has held key positions in which she coordinated the SBA’s public affairs efforts and developed the agency’s strategic plan. In the late 1980s, she served in the Philadelphia Regional Office as Assistant Regional Administrator for Public Affairs and Communications, working closely with the Regional Advocate.
