Former R.I. Sen. Sandra Cano has been named New England Regional Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration.
(Courtesy Sandra Cano’s 2023 campaign for U.S. Congress)
Former Rhode Island state Sen. Sandra Cano has been named New England regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration, the first Latina to hold the job, the agency announced Wednesday afternoon.
The announcement confirms rumors that have swirled in Rhode Island political circles for months, intensifying after Cano abruptly resigned from office and ended her reelection campaign in September, two days after the state primary.
The regional job directing New England small business support for the SBA, including its flagship low-interest loan and disaster relief programs, is a presidentially appointed position. The post has been empty for a year.
Cano in an interview Wednesday declined to comment on how President-elect Donald Trump might impact her duties, or employment, with the SBA. She started the job Nov. 4, the day before the presidential election.
“I am really focused on continuing the work this administration has done in the last four years,” she said. “We have accomplished so much, including record financing for small businesses. There is much more to be done in the limited time we have left.”
Cano has represented Pawtucket’s District 8 since 2018, and served as the first Latina chair of the Senate Education Committee. Health care and education reforms, including a financial literacy program in public high schools, and expanded insurance coverage for fertility treatments, were among the key legislative wins she cited in a Sept. 12 resignation letter to Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore.
Her resignation, two days after the September state primaries, set off a scramble by the Rhode Island Democratic State Committee to fill the Democratic spot on the Nov. 5 general election ballot, with ensuing criticism over the lack of public input. Democrat Lori Urso defeated independent candidate Cathyann Palocsik in the race for Pawtucket’s Senate District 8 by a 30-percentage-point margin, according to results of the Nov. 5 election.
Cano on Wednesday said she resigned the day she got the offer letter from the SBA.
“Sometimes you cannot control the process,” she said. “Regardless of timing, I am always going to continue to say yes to public service and yes to serving small businesses.”
Cano also stepped down from her day job as commerce director for the city of Pawtucket, where she developed “innovative” marketing strategies and policies to attract business and development to the city, according to the press release. The SBA also highlighted her experience in the financial sector; prior to working for the city of Pawtucket, Cano served as assistant vice president at Navigant Credit Union, expanding its financial education programs and outreach to underserved communities.
A Colombian immigrant who came to the United States as a teenager under political asylum, Cano began her political career in 2012 on the Pawtucket School Committee, advancing to a seat on the Pawtucket City Council in 2014.
She also ran, and placed third, in the special Democratic primary for the open 1st Congressional District seat in 2023.
Asked if she would miss serving in elected office, Cano said she viewed her new job as a “different type of service.”
“As much as I enjoyed doing my role as an elected official, I think this job will allow me to do public service in a greater capacity and allows me to serve at a different level,” she said.
Cano has a bachelor’s degree in management and economics from Bryant University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Rhode Island.
GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.