Paul Quintero

Paul Quintero is the Chief Executive Officer of Ascendus, a leading Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that empowers low- to moderate-income (LMI) business owners with access to capital and financial education. During his tenure at Ascendus, he has expanded the organization’s service footprint from New York state to the entire country, transitioned to new technology platforms to support lending and fundraising operations, and successfully launched new lending products. Prior to becoming CEO, he served as Ascendus’ Chief Financial Officer.

Prior to joining Ascendus, Paul served 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. He earned his M.B.A. in Finance at Columbia Business School, where he was selected as a Robert A. Toigo Fellow, and holds a B.A. in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Washington, where he was selected as a Washington State Scholar.