María José Cantoni

María José joined Britepaths in 2014 as a financial literacy volunteer and then as a staff member. She is currently the Director of the Financial Empowerment Center (FEC) at South County in Fairfax County. This FEC, run by Britepaths on behalf of Fairfax County and the United Way of the National Capital Area, is recognized as the most successful FEC in the history of the greater DC metropolitan region.

María José is a licensed Certified Public Accountant with more than 20 years of experience at various businesses, from multinational corporations to small start-ups to nonprofits. In her native country, Argentina, she learned the intricacies of credit risk analysis, managed loan portfolios, and performed audits of large corporations. After moving to the United States, she worked for a start-up, where she saw firsthand the difficulties and challenges faced by entrepreneurs.

María José enjoys serving the community and being part of the collaborative effort to empower those in need.