Ms. Barbara Carson joined the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in Washington, D.C, in June 2013. She is the Acting Associate Administrator for the Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD).

At SBA, Ms. Carson develops, promotes and employs policies and programs that support veteran owned small business. Her efforts focus on SBA veteran related programs for active duty and reserve service members, service disabled veterans, and military dependents and survivors.

Ms. Carson has first-hand military experience, having served over 20 years as an active duty and reserve officer. She is currently a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force Reserve (USAFR), assigned to the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs. Her military experience includes nuclear command and control and public affairs with assignments across the United States, Japan and Europe. In addition, while stationed in Okinawa, Japan, she founded a small business with a fellow veteran and continues to be passionate about entrepreneurship opportunities for military service members, veterans and their spouses.