Loretta Sánchez

The Honorable Loretta Sánchez served for two decades, from 1997 until 2017, as a member of the United States Congress, representing Orange County, CA.  She was a member of several key Congressional Committees, including Armed Services, Homeland Security, Education and Labor, and the Joint Economic Committee of the Senate and House.  She also served as Chairwoman of several subcommittees, including Border and Maritime Security, Land and Air Tactical, Strategic Forces, and Emerging Threats and Capabilities.  In those roles, she negotiated budgets, provided oversight of agencies and programs, and assisted in developing policies associated with treaties.  She is a recognized leader in international affairs, national security, counterterrorism, and nuclear proliferation/nonproliferation matters.

Sanchez led efforts on educational attainment for all, small business regulatory reform, healthcare initiatives, and technology innovation.  She funded the expansion of preschool programs for children, championed the construction of the largest water recycling project in the world (in Orange County), and directed research funding to universities in her area to help develop a BioMed industry.  As a 2018 Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University, she developed a business model to increase the supply of affordable housing in Southern California through vocational training of “second chance” young adults to build Auxiliary Dwelling Units.

Sanchez holds a BSBA in Economics from Chapman University, where she is a Trustee, and an MBA from The Kogod Business School at American University.  She sits on various corporate and non-profit boards and consults to many international clients.  She speaks several languages and has lived in different countries around the world. She recently served as a Senior Leadership Fellow at the Adam Smith Center for Economic Freedom in the Spring of 2022.