BUSINESS

A bio snapshot of Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell

Staff Writer

Columbus CEO

Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.

AGE: 55.

LIVES IN: Edmonds, Washington.

EDUCATION: Miami University (Ohio).

CAREER: U.S. senator since 2001, chairwoman of the Committee on Small Business & Entrepreneurship since February. Previously was chairwoman of the Committee on Indian Affairs. Served in House of Representatives, 1993-95. Was Washington state legislator 1987-93. Former senior vice president at RealNetworks Inc., based in Seattle.

HOBBIES: Hiking, climbing.

LAST BOOK READ: "The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown.

FAVORITE QUOTE: "America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand," President Harry S. Truman.

FAVORITE SMALL BUSINESS PERSON: Lee Rhodes, founder of Glassybaby, Seattle-based maker of candleholders and glasses that donates 10 percent of its revenue to charitable organizations and health programs at the Department of Veterans Affairs.