Mary Landrieu: “next Friday, May 31, is my friend's-- Marie C. Johns--last day as the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business…”

“next Friday, May 31, is my friend's-- Marie C. Johns--last day as the Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. She has served the SBA and our country's small businesses with distinction since 2010, and I will miss working with her. Her appointment to serve as the Deputy Administrator came at a critical time for U.S. small businesses, when the economy was recovering from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. The SBA needed great leadership, and she brought to the agency an impressive family history of entrepreneurship and professional accomplishments. As she said during her confirmation hearing on May 19, 2010, `` the spirit of entrepreneurship has been at the core of my professional and personal life.'' She described the landscaping business her grandfather owned in Indianapolis, IN. And then later, after her uncle earned his degree in pharmacy at Howard University, her grandfather built a community pharmacy so that her uncle could practice as a pharmacist and serve the African-American community in Indianapolis. Marie built her own career in DC, starting as a first-level manager in telecommunications and retiring as the president of Verizon DC. During her 20 years in communications, she held numerous leadership positions, helping small businesses and entrepreneurs.…”