WASHINGTON – The United States Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship yesterday evening reported out favorably the nomination of Dr. Winslow Lorenzo Sargeant to be the Small Business Administration’s Chief Counsel for Advocacy. With 17 members voting in favor and two voting against, Dr. Sargeant must now be confirmed by the full Senate.

“Dr. Sargeant has gained valuable knowledge and understanding of the challenges that small businesses face in today’s ever changing environment,” Senator Landrieu said. “With advocates like Dr. Sargeant at the helm, the agency is more ready than ever to play an important role in assisting small businesses as they continue to lead this country to economic recovery.”

Dr. Sargeant is currently serving as the Chief Counsel for the Office of Advocacy through a recess appointment made in August of 2010. During his time in the position, he has gained the approval of key trade organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to this, he served as Managing Director of Venture Investors, a Midwest venture capital company with a concentration on starting up healthcare and technology companies. Previously, he co-founded Aanetcom, a technology company now owned by PMC Sierra (a publicly-owned company) and served as a program manager for the Small Business Innovation Research program in electronics at the National Science Foundation.