BOSTON,

May 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Alignable.com, the largest online network of small business owners, announced today that the former head of the U.S. Small Business Administration,

Karen G. Mills

, has joined as an investor and advisor. A leading authority on U.S. competitiveness, entrepreneurship and innovation, Mills is currently a Senior Fellow at

Harvard Business School

and the author of the new book,

Fintech, Small Business & the American Dream

. She served in former President

Barack Obama's

Cabinet as the Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) from 2009 to 2013. In that role, she managed a loan guarantee portfolio of more than

$100 billion

, and led the agency's economic recovery efforts in the wake of the Great Recession.

"Small businesses are critical to the economy, but it is often difficult for them to access all the resources that they need," Mills said. "A community where small business owners across the globe can congregate, share information, and access the products and services they require will help them be more successful. When I met Alignable's co-founders, I saw the enormous value of the community they were building and how it could help small business owners grow and succeed."

The Alignable Network includes over 3.5 million small business owners across 30,000 communities in North America. Each day, thousands of business owners join for free to network, build trusted relationships, refer business, find new prospects, and gain access to unparalleled resources to drive their growth.

"Karen shares our belief that a massive transformation in the global small business economy will occur as we overcome the isolation felt by SMB owners by connecting them within their communities, industries, and across the globe," shared Alignable Co-Founder and CEO Eric Groves. "Karen's unique insights into the financial challenges these business owners face makes her an incredible resource for us and for our millions of members."