The South Florida District of the U.S. Small Business Administration recently announced the appointment of Debra Salas as their Lead Lender Relations Specialist.

The South Florida District encompasses 24 counties from the Tampa metro area, extending east to the Treasure Coast and as far south as the Florida Keys and employs staff at its headquarters in Miami along with two Alternate Work Sites in Tampa and Ft. Pierce, Florida.

In her new role, Salas will collaborate with public and private sector agencies, lending organizations, and individuals to ensure that identified communities have knowledge of and access to SBA lending and other federal, state, and community programs and resources that support entrepreneurs and small business owners.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Debra on our staff to lead our high-performing lending efforts,” said Victoria Guerrero, director for SBA South Florida. “For a number of years, our District ranked in the Top 5 for SBA lending, and currently, we are in our fifth-consecutive year of backing more than $1B in SBA loan guarantees.”

Before joining the federal government, Salas worked as the Vice President Director of Small Business Lending for Neighborhood Lending Partners where she was responsible for executing their small business loan program goals through direct business development, marketing and community outreach activities throughout the state.

Prior to joining NLP, she worked in the non-profit field and academia, as well as owned and operated a small, alternative lending mortgage brokerage business in Miami that served customers who did not typically qualify for traditional financing.

Salas’ vast knowledge and experience with SBA programs and services were recognized in 2017 when she was awarded the SBA Financial Advocate of the Year for the State of Florida and for the South Florida District. More recently she was invited to speak to members of a bi-partisan Congressional Small Business Committee in D.C. about the SBA’s Community Advantage Program.

In her role as a community steward, Salas actively participated on the Miami-Dade Bridge Loan Committee after Hurricane Irma; Beacon Council’s Small Business Committee; Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Small Businesses; the SBA’s Emerging Leader Program and Boots to Business Program; Florida Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (FLAGGL) Small Business Lender’s Forum, and the Small Business Development Center’s Women in Business Program.

Salas earned a Bachelor’s in Communications from Hunter College and a Master’s in English from New York University.

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration makes the American dream of business ownership a reality. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start and grow their businesses. It delivers services to people through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.