New Jersey Entrepreneur

NEWARK, NJ --- Alfred Titone has been named district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s New Jersey district office, the agency announced today. Titone succeeds James A. Kocsi, who retired from the post in December of last year.

The fifth New Jersey district director in SBA history, Titone will be responsible for managing the agency’s lending and contracting activities in the state of New Jersey, and will oversee the New Jersey Small Business Development Center and its 11 regional centers, as well the coordination of nine chapters of SCORE – Counselors to America’s Small Business.

In making the announcement, SBA’s Region II Regional Administrator Jorge Silva-Puras said,

"We are very fortunate to have Al on our team. His extensive knowledge of SBA programs and leadership qualities make him the ideal candidate to lead our New Jersey district office. His managerial experience and hands-on style will be a great asset to the New Jersey small business community."

"I would like to thank the New Jersey district office staff who, under the leadership of Acting District Director John Villios over the past few months, worked very hard towards achieving agency goals," Silva-Puras added.

Titone joined the SBA in January of 2008 as the agency’s Long Island branch manager. He later served as acting district director of the New York district office from February through May of 2009, and in January of 2010, he was named New York deputy district director.

In accepting his new post, Titone said, "I welcome the opportunity to build upon Jim Kocsi’s legacy, and to work with our partners and stakeholders to improve upon the delivery of our programs and services to the small business community. New Jersey is a diverse state and I look forward to the challenge of keeping SBA in the forefront of economic growth and development throughout the district."

Prior to joining the SBA, Titone was the Regional Director for the York College Small Business Development Center in Queens, NY. During his nearly six-year tenure, the organization grew considerably with a significant increase in the number of counseling hours, and the dollar amount of loans the center helped facilitate for its small business clients. Titone holds an MBA in marketing and management from St. John’s University.