Elias Hernandez

Elias Hernandez is a dedicated professional with a passion for supporting America’s next great generation of veteran and military spouse small business owners. Currently serving as the Associate Administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Veterans Business Development (OVBD), he plays a crucial role in fostering opportunities for veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve members, military spouses, and family members by improving their access to resources such as counseling, training and education, access to capital, contracting opportunities, and disaster assistance.

Prior to this, Mr. Hernandez served as SBA's Chief Human Capital Officer where he was responsible for developing and implementing SBA’s human capital strategy to carry out the Agency’s responsibilities for selecting, developing, and managing a high-caliber workforce ready to support America’s entrepreneurs as they seize opportunities to grow and reach new markets. He was also accountable for the Agency’s overall human capital program, which includes human resources (HR) policy, recruitment, employee development, retention, executive resources, strategic workforce planning, performance management, compensation, benefits, leave administration, labor and employee relations, work/life, and HR IT systems.

Mr. Hernandez previously served as Chief Officer of the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA) Workforce Management and Consulting Office. In this role, he provided technical expertise to the Under Secretary for Health and National Leadership Council on Human Capital Management matters and supported the overall delivery of HR service to VHA. He oversaw over 350 staff with a $155 million budget supporting over 5,000 HR professionals located throughout the United States including Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico. Mr. Hernandez led the VHA’s HR program which supported 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks and 141 Medical Centers consisting of more than 317,000 clinical and administrative support employees and nearly 120,000 health professions trainees.

Mr. Hernandez retired from the Army at the rank of E-9—Sergeant Major—after 24 years of distinguished active-duty military service. He holds a Master of Science degree in Human Resources Management and Development from National-Louis University and is a 2021 Distinguished Presidential Rank Award recipient.