Maria Almeida

Maria F. Almeida is a bilingual and bicultural small business strategist professional. She is from Quito, Ecuador, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in financial engineering and a master’s degree in international relations, specializing in Economics and Finance. Her experience has been primarily working with small businesses both in Latin America and the US. She started her career as a Commercial Banker in her country. In the U.S., she worked for almost 10 years with a CDFI in Chicago as an underwriter, loan officer, team manager, and created a Latino Outreach Program. She also had the opportunity to direct a business pitch competition promoted by the State Department and USAID, which intended to connect small business owners in Latin America and the U.S.

She has been mentoring small business owners, providing technical assistance with the Women’s Business Development Center in Chicago and the Oklahoma Small Business Development Centers. She was also a VP Bilingual Financial Center Leader for Bank of Oklahoma and Operations Director for UMA Tulsa. In the Summer of 2025, she obtained her MBA in Entrepreneurship at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. Her passion is to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses and communities.