The Small Business Administration has named Stefanie Baker Wehagen and George Koklanaris to the roles of national ombudsman and associate administrator for the office of small business development centers respectively. Koklanaris will manage the agency’s small business development facilities in the U.S. while Wehagen will help small businesses in the event of uneven federal regulatory enforcement activities as part of their new roles, SBA said Wednesday.
Prior to his current capacity, Koklanaris served as a strategy and management consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and is an active member of the U.S. Army Reserve. Wehagen is a former associate counsel at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and worked as an attorney advisor under the Department of Commerce’s general counsel office.
“I am pleased to welcome George and Stefanie to the SBA team as our Agency advocates on behalf of entrepreneurs, assisting them with resources to help their businesses start, grow and expand,” said Chris Pilkerton, acting administrator at SBA.