UPDATED: August 31, 2006 10:27 AM
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ILF Founder Named Chief of Staff

Founder of the International Leadership Foundation, Joel Szabat, has been appointed to another position in the spotlight. He will soon serve as the chief of staff for the U.S. Small Business Administration by SBA Administrator Steven C. Preston.

            In his role as chief of staff, Szabat will serve as one of the primary advisors to the administrator and the agency's senior managers.
            "Joel brings strong hands-on management experience to our team, which will be critical in partnering with me to address many of the operational opportunities and challenges we face at the SBA," said SBA Administrator Steven C. Preston. "We will build upon the many valuable programs at the SBA by emphasizing the importance of a customer-centric culture, operational
responsiveness, and sophisticated financial management."
            Before joining SBA, Szabat served the Department of Transportation. He led department-wide initiatives such as the President's Management Agenda, Pandemic Flu planning, Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned, and interagency research coordination.
            In 2005, Szabat served the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, as the transportation counselor to the ambassador and directed the U.S. government's $544 million transportation reconstruction program in Iraq
            Szabat also served on the Republicans in the California State Assembly, as a management and budget aide to the Administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and worked in a management consulting firm in the private sector.
            Szabat received a B.A. in economics and government from Georgetown University in 1981, and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1988. Between Georgetown and Harvard, Joel was in the United States Army during the Cold War, commanding tank units patrolling the East-West German border.
            Szabat is from Sacramento, where he founded ILF, a non-profit organization providing public service scholarships for Asian American college students. His wife, Chiling Tong, works in the Commerce Department.

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