meet Ascendus

Paul’s awareness of the needs of small businesses began as an adolescent, when he assisted his mother in her home-based childcare business. At that time, organizations like Ascendus, which empower low-to-moderate income business owners through access to capital and business support did not exist. Looking back, he often wonders how it might have changed his own life if it had. However, he is also acutely aware of the tenacity, creativity and yes, hopeful optimism, of immigrant entrepreneurs, since both of his parents immigrated from Ecuador to seek a better life in the United States. These challenges and strengths have fueled Paul’s passion for seeking to create a world of financial ascension for all.  

Paul Quintero was selected to become the Chief Executive Officer of Ascendus in 2011 after previously serving as its Chief Financial and Operating Officer since 2007. During his tenure, Paul has transformed the organization in almost every dimension. Under his leadership and with the active engagement and support of his board of directors, he led the effort to define the organization’s six shared core values, developed home-grown leadership within the organization, increased staff retention and productivity, successfully achieved yearly consecutive mission growth since 2011, fully restored the financial position of the organization after the difficult 2008 Recession, expanded the service footprint from New York state to the entire country, successfully transitioned to new technology platforms to support lending and fundraising operations, dramatically improved and consistently maintained a high level of portfolio quality, successfully launched new lending products and successfully rebranded the entire organization. From Paul’s perspective, these achievements were merely precursors for the even brighter future to come. 

Prior to joining Ascendus, Paul worked for three years as a CPA in the audit division of Deloitte & Touche, spent seven years as an investment banker on Wall Street and four years in local community redevelopment focused on commercial revitalization of Harlem and Upper Manhattan. Paul was selected as a Washington State Scholar, earned his BA in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Washington and an MBA in Finance at Columbia Business School, where he was selected as a Robert A. Toigo Fellow.