SBA names new deputy district director for Puerto Rico, USVI
María de los Ángeles de Jesús (right) is sworn into her new post.
U.S. Small Business Administration Region II Administrator Jorge Silva-Puras announced Monday the appointment of María de los Ángeles de Jesús as Deputy District Director for SBA’s Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands district office.
“We’re very pleased to welcome María to the SBA,” Silva-Puras said. “Her extensive career in the federal service, and background in community development and commercial loan guaranty programs make up an ideal mix to serve small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the district. We look forward to working with María as our agency continues to foster the wellbeing of the economy’s most important sector.”
A U.S. Department of Agriculture employee for the past 27 years, de Jesús has occupied such positions as Loan Specialist and Community Development Manager. During the last seven years, she held the title of Business and Cooperative Program Director for USDA Rural Development, managing a commercial loan guaranty program with a $25 million loan limit, as well as federal grants to create and save jobs through commercial initiatives.
Her vast experience ranges from the completion of a single-family property appraisal to the analysis of commercial financing structures or renewable energy projects.
“As the daughter of a small rural entrepreneur, I have firsthand knowledge of what a small business is all about,” said de Jesús. “I believe in the leveraging of resources and collaborative efforts to strengthen the state of small business and help our economy move forward. I have accepted this new challenge with the commitment to contribute toward that effort.”
De Jesús is a graduate from the University of Puerto Rico’s Mayagüez Campus, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science in Agronomy, leading her to a career in business financing, cooperative development, and businesses related to the local production of food products. Prior to beginning her federal career, de Jesús taught several courses at the UPR Utuado Campus, and worked for a year and a half with the Puerto Rico Department of Education, teaching Algebra, Advanced Math and Vocational Agriculture.
