Board Chair of Meridian International Center

WIth my dedicated team, I led EXIM through a period that included historic demand for its services in the aftermath of the global financial crisis and unprecedented political attacks from Congress. In total, during my tenure the agency supported more than 1.4 million American jobs and financed exports with a value exceeding $240 billion, while generating $3.8 billion in profits for U.S. taxpayers and reducing internal agency costs by 30 percent. We achieved these results while maintaining a focus on some key priorities:•Reauthorization: EXIM Bank faced an unprecedented crisis: its authority was allowed to lapse. After working hand in hand with the White House and Congressional allies, the Bank was reauthorized with broad bipartisan votes after five months of not being able to complete any new transactions. The lapse was a devastating blow to thousands of American exporters that rely on EXIM, nearly 90% of them small businesses. •Customer Focus: Improving customer service was a primary initiative of mine. I sought to streamline processes and cut transaction times so that 98 percent of transactions were processed within 100 days. Our team also introduced innovative new financial products to better equip U.S. companies to win sales in an increasingly competitive global economy. These efforts were particularly focused on America’s small business exporters.•Reacting to the Credit Crisis: My team and I assumed our positions at the height of the contraction of global credit markets. As a countercyclical agency, EXIM stepped in to keep U.S. exports flowing and American workers on the job.•Pressing America’s Advantage: I also worked to expand the global footprint of key industries in which U.S. exporters have a comparative advantage. These industries include renewable, thermal and nuclear energy, aerospace and transportation technology, equipment for the mining and natural resource extraction industries, construction and farm machinery, and infrastructure services.

From 2004 to 2008, I served as Dean of the Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy at the New School in New York City. I helped developed a core curriculum, bringing coherence and a shared experience to the school’s degree programs. We also worked to raise the profile of the Milano School, bringing leaders from the business community, government and non-profit sectors to its campus. I was proud to leave the Milano School on a much firmer financial footing, established the Dean’s Alumni Council and pioneered an executive education program.

From 1998 to 2001, I served as Deputy, and then Acting Administrator of the SBA in the Clinton administration. Our team led an effort to quadrupled lending to minority- and woman-owned businesses and rapidly improved response times for American small business owners. We also expedited the agency’s adoption of more automated loan processing technology.

I served as president and chief operating officer of the Lillian Vernon Corporation, leading the transformation of a small, family-owned mail order company into an international, publicly traded direct marketing corporation. During my 18 years, we grew revenues from $5 million in 1975 to $180 million in 1993.