Steve Preston

Steve Preston

Steven C. Preston (born August 4, 1960 ) is an American politician ( Republican Party ). He succeeded Alphonso Jackson as Secretary of State for Construction in June 2008 , making him the 14th holder of this office, which he held until the end of US President George W. Bush's tenure in January 2009.

Studies and professional career

Steve Preston grew up in Janesville , Wisconsin , near the Illinois border . At his high school he was top of the class and president of the student council. He completed his studies at Northwestern University in 1982 as a Bachelor of Arts in political science with the degree summa cum laude . In 1985, he earned a master's degree from the University of Chicago Business School .

He began his career in the financial industry in 1982 with the First National Bank of Chicago . He later moved to the investment bank Lehman Brothers , where he rose to Vice President. There it was his job to advise multinational corporations on complex business and financial matters. Between 1993 and 1997 he served as Vice President of Colorado- based First Data , where he managed to expand the firm's presence in the capital markets and improve relationships with the financial industry. From 1997 he worked at ServiceMaster , a Fortune Global 500 listed company. There he was first Chief Financial Officer and later Vice President with responsibility for strategic planning.

In government services

Steve Preston when he was sworn in as Head of Small Business Administration by US Vice President Dick Cheney ; in the middle his wife Molly.

On April 25, 2006, President George W. Bush named Steve Preston head of the Small Business Administration , a federal agency that supports smaller businesses. After confirmation by the US Senate on June 29, he took his oath of office on July 10 of the same year.

After Preston took office, reformed to make the agency more effective through more modern business models. When he took over the post, more than 100,000 families affected by Hurricane Katrina were waiting for government aid to rebuild their livelihoods. Within a few months Preston was able to provide the necessary support. He also endeavored to better prepare the Small Business Administration for similar cases in the future. Another focus of his activity was on the smaller businesses in the city centers; their number should be increased again.

When he was nominated by President Bush as the new Minister for Construction, Steve Preston had to undergo the usual Senate hearing . He received praise from both parties for his previous work. Democratic Senator John Kerry praised Preston for having worked hard to get the small business administration on the right track and to improve relations with Congress .

Preston quickly gained recognition within the Department for his efforts to help homeowners affected by the housing crisis in the United States. In view of the biggest problem of this kind for decades, the main focus of his work was initially to ensure that the respective families could keep their houses and that the house market stabilized again.

Web links

• Biography at the Ministry of Construction
• Steve Preston in the Miller Center of Public Affairs of the University of Virginia (English)