John Hale, Keynote Speaker at 29th Annual Government Small Business Conference
John Hale III is the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization at the U.S. Department of Energy. In this role, Hale advocates for small businesses including small disadvantaged, 8(a), women-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and Historically Underutilized Business Zone businesses. He is committed to increasing contracting opportunities awarded to small businesses, establishing goals, promulgating policy, and developing programs to encourage small business participation in procurement opportunities. Hale also specializes in guiding small businesses through the process of contracting with the U.S. Department of Energy.
Hale is the former Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access at the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). The primary focus of this effort included improving the agency’s strategic partnership with its lenders and their federal bank regulatory agencies. Moreover, he engaged lenders to identify opportunities for the SBA to design efficient programs that they would embrace with enthusiasm while optimizing credit quality.
During his tenure, several key accomplishments included:
Generation of a record 61,689 loan approvals totaling to $30 billion of project financing in FY2011 representing a 13% increase in approved loans and a 45% increase in approved dollars; Implementation of strategies that attracted over 1,300 new and returning lenders that made SBA loans in FY2011; and engagement of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to provide credit risk management training for SBA staff and collaborate with risk management modeling and metrics to enhance SBA’s off-site monitoring of 4,500 lenders.
Prior to joining the SBA in January 2011, Hale worked for an internationally renowned turnaround consulting firm serving as a Chief Restructuring Officer for numerous underperforming middle market companies. Additionally, Hale served in several capacities at two super regional banks, including an internal consultant focused on re-engineering processes and evaluating capital budgeting projects, a Vice President middle-market loan officer, and a Vice President special assets officer. He also worked as an Engagement Manager serving the financial services industry for a national business consulting firm.
Hale holds a master’s degree in finance from Carnegie Mellon University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Michigan.