Hannibal Ware
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Hannibal "Mike" Ware is the inspector general of the
United States Small Business Administration The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stre ...
. Ware was sworn into office on May 24, 2018.


Early life

Ware is originally from the
U.S. Virgin Islands The United States Virgin Islands, officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and a territory of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located ...
, and he grew up on St. Croix.O'Connor, Brian (March 5, 2018).
V.I. Native Awaits Confirmation to High-ranking SBA post
. ''Tribune Content Agency'' (Chicago). March 5, 2018.
Ware, Hannibal "Mike" (February 14, 2018).
Testimony of Hannibal “Mike” Ware Nominee to be Inspector General U.S. Small Business Administration Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
. ''United States Senate''.
He graduated from Central High School. He earned a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in
accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the process of recording and processing information about economic entity, economic entities, such as businesses and corporations. Accounting measures the results of an organization's economic activit ...
from the
University of the Virgin Islands The University of the Virgin Islands (or UVI) is a public historically black land-grant university in the United States Virgin Islands. History UVI was founded as the College of the Virgin Islands on March 16, 1962. In 1986, it officially becam ...
.He also is a graduate of the Senior Executive Service Career Development Program. He has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. He was conferred a degree of Doctorate of Human Letters by the University of the Virgin Islands in December 2020.


Career

As a junior in college, Ware began working as an intern auditor for the Office of the Inspector General of the
U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relating t ...
in 1990. He continued working there after graduation. He was later promoted to supervisor of the office. In 2009, Gov. John de Jongh Jr. used $490,000 of government funds to build a perimeter fence, expand his driveway, build a guard house, and installed a security camera system. Ware found that de Jongh had used money designated for repairs to public roads to make the improvements to his private home, which was improper and circumvented the legislature. The
attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
charged DeJongh with criminal embezzlement of public funds and neglecting to pay over public monies. Ware was later promoted to Eastern Regional Manager. While he was Deputy Assistant Inspector General for Management, Ware managed the office's operating budget and logistics. Ware served as the Deputy Inspector General of the Small Business Administration from April 2016 to January 2017. When Inspector General Peggy E. Gustafson left the position to become to Inspector General of the
Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business ...
, Ware served as the Acting Inspector General from January 9, 2017, until
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
appointed him, the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
confirmed him, and he was sworn into office on May 24, 2018.Hannibal "Mike" Ware
. ''U.S. Small Business Administration''. Archived fro
the original
on March 24, 2019.
He is responsible for independent oversight of SBA’s programs and operations, which normally encompass more than $100 billion in guaranteed loans and nearly $100 billion in Federal contracting dollars. As a result of SBA’s role in the nation’s pandemic response, he is providing oversight of over a trillion dollars of lending authority aimed at stabilizing the nation’s economy and providing vital capital to the nation’s small businesses. He also is a statutory member of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s (CIGIE)
Pandemic Response Accountability Committee The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) is an independent oversight committee within the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, created by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 20 ...
(PRAC), serving alongside his Inspector General colleagues to provide a whole of Government response to the pandemic oversight effort. Within the PRAC, Inspector General Ware chairs the Subcommittee on Audits. In addition, Inspector General Ware serves as the Chair of th
Audit Committee
for CIGIE and is a member of CIGIE’s Executive Council. In 2017, Ware helped uncover several contractors that had received federal contracts intended for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses under false pretenses. One company attempted to qualify by hiring a disabled veteran to officially serve in that role as a figurehead while not actually controlling the company at all. In May 2020, Ware criticized the Small Business Administration's rules for the
Paycheck Protection Program The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is a $953-billion business loan program established by the United States federal government during the First presidency of Donald Trump, Trump administration in 2020 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and ...
, saying that the Small Business Administration had set stricter rules than Congress wrote into the law created the program, which is causing an "unintended burden" on businesses. Ware also said that the Small Business Administration's failure to provide guidance to financial institutions to prioritize businesses in underserved and rural markets, resulting in fewer loans to their businesses than the law intended. In November 2024, Ware was elected chair of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), effective Jan. 1, 2025; he succeeded
Mark Greenblatt Mark Lee Greenblatt is an American attorney and government official who had served as the Inspector General of the United States Department of the Interior. As the Department's 7th confirmed Inspector General, Mr. Greenblatt oversaw a nationwide ...
. On January 24, 2025 President
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
attempted to dismiss Mr. Ware along with several other inspectors general. Ware responded that he had not been legally dismissed, as the law required a notification to Congress 30 days in advance. On February 12, he and seven other inspectors general who were fired by Trump filed a lawsuit against the administration, asking that their dismissals be ruled illegal and that they be reinstated.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ware, Hannibal Living people First Trump administration personnel United States Virgin Islands businesspeople University of the Virgin Islands alumni United States Virgin Islands people Year of birth missing (living people) Small Business Administration personnel Inspectors General (IGs) dismissed by Donald Trump