John is a tested leader in the non-profit sector with 7 years of combined experience managing, strategizing, and operating large and complex economic development programs. He is a natural planner, agile decision maker, builder of relationships across partners and communities.

John has demonstrated success as steward of programs coordinating and implementing simplified processes that have repeatedly accelerated the programs’ performance and exceeded output metrics. Under his leadership, LEDC’s business development team has made available about 1.4M in working capital to Minnesota Latino entrepreneurs.  At the high of the pandemic, he led LEDC’s Team in the Covid-19 Housing Assistance Program “CHAP”, which delivered housing and utility assistance to more than 5,000 Minnesota households. Within the organization, John is a manager, coach, and guide of the training program for micro-entrepreneurs that aims to make a preliminary evaluation of business ideas. He too developed the current training curriculum for self-employed entrepreneurs.     

John’s academic background includes a Law Degree from Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia; a JD from William Mitchell College, St. Paul, Minnesota; and an LLM from The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.