U.S. Small Business Administration Mississippi District Director Janita R. Stewart to retire – Long tenure marked by celebrating 51 Years of Federal Service

The Mississippi Link Newswire,

SBA Mississippi District Director Janita R. Stewart is retiring after 51 years of federal government service, 41 years with the U.S. Small Business Administration. As District Director since April 1995, Janita has been responsible for the delivery of SBA programs and services throughout the state of Mississippi, helping small businesses start, grow, expand, and recover from disasters and adversity. Her final workday is January 9, 2026. Her admirable service of dedication and commitment to the federal government, knowledge, experience, positive leadership, mentorship, inspiration, and unprecedented devotion to the small business community have made a meaningful impact over the past 51 years, leaving an indelible mark on the entrepreneurial landscape which will continue to resonate for years to come.

As SBA District Director for Mississippi, Stewart is responsible for supervising the activities of team members in the Mississippi District and Gulfport Branch Offices. Her responsibility entails the supervision of the delivery of a wide range of critical SBA programs and services to the small business community, including financial assistance, entrepreneurial development, minority business enterprise development, and related special emphasis programs such as women’s business ownership, international trade, veterans’ affairs, and more. In addition, Stewart is responsible for oversight of SBA-funded resource partners including the State Office of the Mississippi Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the University of Mississippi which has 19 SBDC Subcenters and Business Assistance Centers strategically located throughout Mississippi; SCORE Mississippi – America’s Counselors; the Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC) at Mississippi State University; two Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) located at Alcorn State University and Jackson State University; and the SBA Community Builders Network Mississippi participant operated by Community Students Learning Center in Lexington, MS. In addition, since March 2025, Stewart has also served as the Acting District Director for the SBA Alabama District Office overseeing the activities of the team members in Birmingham.

Janita’s concerted and long-running expansion of SBA’s relationships with state, and local economic development organizations, SBA Resource Partners, lenders, chambers of commerce, Congressional offices and many others, has helped Mississippi’s small businesses and entrepreneurs find resources they might not otherwise have.

She has led the SBA Mississippi District Office and the Gulfport Branch Office during many disasters such as Hurricane Katina in 2005 and COVID-19 pandemic which severely impacted small businesses in Mississippi. Under her leadership, small business owners and non-profits were able to get the resources and assistance needed to stay in business during those crucial times.
Janita is a Vicksburg, Mississippi native, is a graduate of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) District Director Candidate Development Program wherein she took on rotational assignments in directing the SBA offices in Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. She received her B.S. Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. In addition to the SBA, she also has served at the U.S. Army, Corps of Engineers in the Vicksburg and New Orleans Districts in the capacities of Contract Specialist, Procurement Analyst, Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization Specialist (SADBU), and Special Assistant and Advisor to the Commander and District Engineer for the Corps’ multimillion dollar Small Business Programs.

Janita was asked by SBA HQ to fill the role as Acting Regional Administrator for the Southeast and did so from January 2021 through December 2021. As Acting Regional Administrator, she was responsible for oversight and management of the activities of the SBA’s eight-state nine-district Region, encompassing the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Tennessee which has a footprint that covers some 6.98 million small businesses and entrepreneurs located in the southeastern corridor of the U.S. In January 2025, she was asked again by SBA HQ to serve as acting Regional Administrator pending the appointment of the Regional Administrator for the Trump Administration.

Some of Janita’s associations/affiliations include the Greater-Jackson Chamber Partnership; Vicksburg-Warren Chamber of Commerce; Mississippi Economic Council – State Chamber of Commerce; Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce; Named Federal Manager of the Year by the Greater Jackson Area Federal Execution Association; Recipient of the Greater Jackson Area Federal Executive Association’s Pacesetter Award; Honoree of the Mississippi Business Journal’s 50 Leading Business Women; Named one of 50 of the Most Influential African Americans in Mississippi; Named in the Inaugural edition of Who’s Who in Black Mississippi, amongst other awards and recognition, etc. Some of her favorite charities include Gateway Rescue Mission, Habitat for Humanity, the Mississippi Food Network, LIFE Outreach International, Doctors Without Borders, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and numerous other charities and ministries.

“It has been my high honor and privilege to work in federal public service at the Army Corps of Engineers and the Small Business Administration,” says Janita R. Stewart, “and I am extremely grateful for the opportunities it presented. I value my colleagues and friendships made along the way. Moving forward, I plan to do the usual retirees tend to do – exhale, relax, time with family, and then we’ll see what’s next!”

“I’ll leave you with one important life point learned along the way: PEOPLE are the core component of any organization. Team members who work together in concert, going in the same and right direction, providing the needed internal and external support, makes an effective organization. People are the difference that can either make it or break it. I am blessed to have worked alongside our Mississippi and Alabama District Office teams to provide exceptional service to small businesses and entrepreneurs in each state, and I sincerely thank them for that!”