Mauricio Vera

Mauricio Vera serves as the Assistant National Director of the Veteran Institute for Procurement (VIP), supporting the Director in all aspects of leading and managing the program, including strategic development and execution.

Prior to joining the VIP team, Mauricio had over 30 years of professional experience advocating for all categories of small businesses in Federal contracting. He served as a career member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) for almost 13 years as Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU).

In that role, Mauricio led USAID’s efforts to provide maximum opportunities for U.S. small businesses (SB) to participate in agency contract awards through outreach, education, and creative procurement initiatives. Under his leadership, USAID achieved significant and unprecedented improvements in its SB accomplishments. The agency increased its contract awards to small businesses every year under his tenure, increasing by tenfold during that time, culminating in the highest dollar obligations (over $900 million) ever awarded worldwide in Fiscal Year 2020.

In his last five years at USAID, he shifted his office’s focus to the agency’s overseas missions and these efforts resulted in a tripling of SB dollars awarded overseas. In 2016, Mauricio was awarded a Meritorious Presidential Rank Award, a prestigious career recognition awarded to only five percent of the Federal Government’s Senior Executives for his “sustained superior accomplishments and inspirational leadership”. Mauricio also served as Chair of the Federal OSDBU Directors Interagency Council for four years and is a recognized senior level speaker at Congressional, industry, and inter-agency events.