Aída Álvarez

Aída Álvarez


20th Administrator of the Small Business Administration
In office March 7, 1997 – January 19, 2001
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Philip Lader
Succeeded by	Hector Barreto
Personal details
Born	1950 (age 65–66) Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	Radcliffe College

Aída M. Álvarez (born 1950) is a Puerto Rican businesswoman and politician. She is the first Latina woman to hold a United States Cabinet-level position, as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, during Bill Clinton's presidency.

Early years

Alvarez was born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico into a family of modest economical means, who despite their hardships always encouraged her to pursue her dreams. After she received her primary education in Puerto Rico, her family moved to New York City in hopes of improving their economic situation. In New York, she attended high school and participated in a program called "ASPIRA". "ASPIRA" was founded by Dr. Antonia Pantoja and has helped disadvantaged children, especially girls, gain the leadership skills and knowledge required to go to college.

Álvarez applied and was accepted at Radcliffe College where in 1971 she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating cum laude. During her student years many people provided her with support.

Journalist for the New York Post

Álvarez began her career as a journalist for the New York Post and won a "Front Page Award". She later became a news reporter and anchor for Metromedia Television (Channel Five) also in New York. In 1982, she won an Associated Press Award for Excellence and she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her reporting of guerilla activities in El Salvador.^[1]

Álvarez ventured into the banking business by becoming an investment banker at the First Boston Corporation and at Bear Stearns. As a public servant, she spent two years at the NYC Health and Hospitals Corp. She was also a commissioner on the New York City Charter Revision Commission and a member of the Mayor's (NYC) Committee on Appointments. On June 1993, Álvarez was named Director of the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight. She created a financial safety and soundness oversight program for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.^[1]

Small Business Administration

In 1997, Álvarez was appointed by President Bill Clinton, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, thus becoming the first Hispanic woman and Puerto Rican to serve as an executive officer in the U.S. Cabinet. She directed the delivery of a comprehensive set of financial and business development programs for American small businesses. The agency provided financing worth eleven billion dollars a year to small businesses across the nation.^[2]

In 2000, Álvarez was elected to the Board of Overseers of Harvard University. Her role is to visit the graduate schools, departments and museums of the University to ensure that the University remains true to its Charter as a place of learning. She also serves on the National Trust for Historic Preservation; the Coalition for Supportive Housing and is on the Board of Trustees of the Latino Community Foundation.^[1]

During the 2004 Presidential Election, Álvarez was named official spokeswoman for Senator John Kerry. Álvarez had met Kerry during her days as the Small Business Administration administrator. She became familiar with his work in the U.S. Senate for small business development.^[1] As of January 2008, Alvarez sits on the board of directors for Wal-Mart. As of 2014, Álvarez sits on the Board of Directors of The Cisneros Center for New Americans.

Álvarez has been featured in many magazines, among them "Latina Style" and is featured in the book "Hard Won Wisdom" by Fawn Gerner, where she is quoted as saying

"I first learned about leadership when I fought back after a female gang leader tried to bully me."^[3]

Personal life

Alvarez is married to Raymond Baxter, a senior Vice President at Kaiser Permanente. They have two daughters.^[4]

References

1 2 3 4 Gale Cengage learning Archived December 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
↑ University of Michigan News
↑ "Hard Won Wisdom", by Fawn Germer, Publisher: Perigee Trade; 1st ed edition (October 9, 2001), ISBN 0-399-52711-7, ISBN 978-0-399-52711-1
↑ Walmart 1% Profile of Aida Alvarez

External links

Political offices
Preceded by Philip Lader	Administrator of the Small Business Administration 1997–2001	Succeeded by Hector Barreto

Cabinet of President Bill Clinton (1993–2001)

Cabinet

Secretary of State	Warren M. Christopher (1993–97) Madeleine Albright (1997–2001)

Secretary of the Treasury	Lloyd Bentsen (1993–94) Robert Rubin (1995–99) Larry Summers (1999–2001)

Secretary of Defense	Les Aspin (1993–94) William J. Perry (1994–97) William S. Cohen (1997–2001)

Attorney General	Janet Reno (1993–2001)

Secretary of the Interior	Bruce Babbitt (1993–2001)

Secretary of Agriculture	Mike Espy (1993–94) Dan Glickman (1995–2001)

Secretary of Commerce	Ron Brown (1993–96) Mickey Kantor (1996–97) William M. Daley (1997–2000) Norman Mineta (2000–01)

Secretary of Labor	Robert Reich (1993–97) Alexis M. Herman (1997–2001)

Secretary of Health and Human Services	Donna Shalala (1993–2001)

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development	Henry G. Cisneros (1993–97) Andrew M. Cuomo (1997–2001)

Secretary of Transportation	Federico Peña (1993–97) Rodney Slater (1997–2001)

Secretary of Energy	Hazel O'Leary (1993–97) Federico Peña (1997–98) Bill Richardson (1998–2001)

Secretary of Education	Richard W. Riley (1993–2001)

Secretary of Veterans Affairs	Jesse Brown (1993–97) Togo West (1998–2000)

* Acting secretary

Cabinet-level

Vice President	Al Gore (1993–2001)

White House Chief of Staff	Mack McLarty (1993–94) Leon Panetta (1994–97) Erskine Bowles (1997–98) John Podesta (1998–2001)

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency	Carol M. Browner (1993–2001)

Ambassador to the United Nations	Madeleine Albright (1993–97) Bill Richardson (1997–98) Richard C. Holbrooke (1999–2001)

Director of the Office of Management and Budget	Leon Panetta (1993–94) Alice Rivlin (1994–96) Franklin D. Raines (1996–98) Jack Lew (1998–2001)

Director of National Drug Control Policy	Lee P. Brown (1993–95) Barry McCaffrey (1996–2001)

Trade Representative	Mickey Kantor (1993–97) Charlene Barshefsky (1997–2001)

Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency	James L. Witt (1993–2001)*

Director of Central Intelligence	R. James Woolsey Jr. (1993–95) John M. Deutch (1995–96) George Tenet (1997–2001)

Chairperson of the Council of Economic Advisers	Laura Tyson (1993–95) Joseph Stiglitz (1995–97) Janet Yellen (1997–99) Martin Neil Baily (1999–2001)

Administrator of the Small Business Administration	Philip Lader (1994–97) Aída M. Álverez (1997–2001)

* took office in 1993, raised to cabinet-rank in 1996

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