The U.S. Small Business Administration announced July 1 that Elizabeth Echols will be its new regional administrator for the area that includes the Tri-Counties.

The SBA’s Region IX covers California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Guam. Under the federal stimulus act, the regional office has backed nearly $6 billion in loans to small businesses, according to an SBA news release.

Echols will oversee 120 employees in 12 offices. She was previously the director of the Northern California chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. A former White House official under Bill Clinton, Echols also worked on the Obama Administration transition team and served as director of policy for four years at Google.

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