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Karen Mills
Karen Gordon Mills (born September 14, 1953) is an American businessperson, author and former government official who served as the 23rd administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). She was nominated by President-elect Barack Obama on December 19, 2008, confirmed unanimously by the Senate on April 2, 2009, and sworn in on April 6, 2009. During her tenure, her office was elevated to the rank of Cabinet-level officer, expanding her power on policy decisions and granting her inclusion in the President's cabinet meetings. On February 11, 2013, she announced her resignation as Administrator and left the post on September 1, 2013.
After leaving the SBA, Mills served as a Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School and Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is the president of the investment firm MMP Group, Inc., and has been a regular contributor to Fortune and other publications. She is the author of Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream, released in 2018, and released a second edition of the book in 2024.
Mills is the daughter of Ellen (née Rubin), the CEO of Tootsie Roll since 2015, and Melvin Gordon, the president and CEO of Tootsie Roll Industries from 1962 until 2015. She received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Mills invested in and managed several small manufacturing firms throughout the country, including producers of hardwood flooring, refrigerator motors, and plastic injection molding.
Before becoming SBA Administrator, Mills served as president of the private equity firm MMP Group, a firm focused on growing businesses in areas such as consumer products, food, textiles, and industrial components. Prior to MMP, she was a founding partner and managing director of Solera Capital, a venture capital firm based in New York City which invested in many women-owned firms, such as natural food producer Annie's.
In 2007, former Maine Governor John Baldacci appointed her to chair the state's Council on Competitiveness and the Economy, which was focused on rural and regional development. She also served on the state's Council for the Redevelopment of the Brunswick Naval Air Station.
Previously, she has worked as a management consultant in the US and Europe for McKinsey and Co., and as a product manager for General Foods, and has served on the boards of directors for Scotts Miracle-Gro and Arrow Electronics.
Mills is an advocate for regional innovation clusters—geographic groupings of related industries (such as tech companies in Silicon Valley) that can share resources, ideas, and human capital. In 2005, Mills became involved with the effort to create new jobs following the closing of the Brunswick Naval Air Station. She helped organize the North Star Alliance, a partnership between local boat builders, composite material manufacturers, and researchers at the University of Maine, which has helped increase the global competitiveness of Maine's boat building and composite industries.
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Karen Mills
Karen Gordon Mills (born September 14, 1953) is an American businessperson, author and former government official who served as the 23rd administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). She was nominated by President-elect Barack Obama on December 19, 2008, confirmed unanimously by the Senate on April 2, 2009, and sworn in on April 6, 2009. During her tenure, her office was elevated to the rank of Cabinet-level officer, expanding her power on policy decisions and granting her inclusion in the President's cabinet meetings. On February 11, 2013, she announced her resignation as Administrator and left the post on September 1, 2013.
After leaving the SBA, Mills served as a Senior Fellow at Harvard Business School and Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is the president of the investment firm MMP Group, Inc., and has been a regular contributor to Fortune and other publications. She is the author of Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream, released in 2018, and released a second edition of the book in 2024.
Mills is the daughter of Ellen (née Rubin), the CEO of Tootsie Roll since 2015, and Melvin Gordon, the president and CEO of Tootsie Roll Industries from 1962 until 2015. She received a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar.
During the 1980s and 1990s, Mills invested in and managed several small manufacturing firms throughout the country, including producers of hardwood flooring, refrigerator motors, and plastic injection molding.
Before becoming SBA Administrator, Mills served as president of the private equity firm MMP Group, a firm focused on growing businesses in areas such as consumer products, food, textiles, and industrial components. Prior to MMP, she was a founding partner and managing director of Solera Capital, a venture capital firm based in New York City which invested in many women-owned firms, such as natural food producer Annie's.
In 2007, former Maine Governor John Baldacci appointed her to chair the state's Council on Competitiveness and the Economy, which was focused on rural and regional development. She also served on the state's Council for the Redevelopment of the Brunswick Naval Air Station.
Previously, she has worked as a management consultant in the US and Europe for McKinsey and Co., and as a product manager for General Foods, and has served on the boards of directors for Scotts Miracle-Gro and Arrow Electronics.
Mills is an advocate for regional innovation clusters—geographic groupings of related industries (such as tech companies in Silicon Valley) that can share resources, ideas, and human capital. In 2005, Mills became involved with the effort to create new jobs following the closing of the Brunswick Naval Air Station. She helped organize the North Star Alliance, a partnership between local boat builders, composite material manufacturers, and researchers at the University of Maine, which has helped increase the global competitiveness of Maine's boat building and composite industries.
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