Obama Picks Maine Businesswoman to Lead SBA Venture capitalist Karen Gordon Mills is President-elect Obama’s choice to head the Small Business Administration. A resident of Brunswick, ME, Mills is president of the MMP Group and has been an adviser to Maine Gov. John Baldacci on economic issues. In introducing Mills in Chicago on Dec. 19, Obama said, “With Karen at the helm, America’s small businesses will have a partner in Washington, helping them create jobs and spur growth in communities across this country.  A venture capitalist who invests in small businesses, Karen understands the challenges faced by both small business owners and the workers they employ. With a background in the private sector and experience helping Maine’s governor promote growth across the state, I am confident that Karen will lead an SBA that will not only help small business owners realize their dreams, but help our nation rebuild our economy.” The new chairwoman of the Senate Small Business Committee, Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu, praised Mills, saying she “brings the right mix of credentials to this important position.” Landrieu’s committee will hold a confirmation hearing for the nominee. Mills, a Harvard MBA, has taken a leadership role in the growth of more than 20 companies in the consumer products, food, distribution, textile and industrial component sectors, according to the Obama transition team. Mills was a co-founder and managing director of Solera Capital and chief operating officer of E.S. Jacobs and Co. She is the lead director of Scotts Miracle-Gro and a director of Arrow Electronics, a $15 billion semiconductor distributor.