The former New England regional administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration was named the new director of SBA lending at Santander Bank.

Seth Goodall will now build a team of lenders and banking experts with an extensive knowledge of the SBA’s loan products as part of Santander’s overall effort to grow its SBA lending through the Mid-Atlantic region.

Goodall was appointed to his SBA post in 2013 by President Barack Obama. There, he was responsible for managing the strategy and implementation of $1.5 billion in lending across more than 300 banks, credit unions and micro and certified development company lenders.

Before he worked for the SBA, Goodall was elected to the Maine State Senate, where he worked on economic and small business matters and served as majority leader. While in the Senate he co-chaired the Joint Select Committee on Maine’s Workforce and Economic Future and Maine’s Economic Growth Council. Goodall also served as a ranking member on the Joint Select Committee on Regulatory Reform and Fairness. He is a former small business owner and attorney at Dyer Goodall, P.A. where he represented small businesses, individuals, and municipalities.

Goodall earned his J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law, and holds a master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut.