Javier De Leon
University of Maryland, School of Public Policy
CLASS YEAR: 2025
Javier De Leon is a Master of Public Policy candidate at the University of Maryland’s (UMD) School of Public Policy. He comes to UMD after spending the past four years working at the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC), where he strived to maximize the region’s economic prosperity and global competitiveness. As a manager with EDC’s international affiliate, the World Trade Center San Diego (WTCSD), he managed the organization’s flagship export assistance program, MetroConnect, and oversaw binational collaborative efforts between the cities of San Diego and Tijuana. Prior to EDC, he spent 15 months in Latin America, working for the consulting firm, GO Associados, in São Paulo, Brazil and the NGO, Corporación Colombia Internacional, in Bogota, Colombia.
Javier graduated from San Diego State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with an emphasis in public policy and a minor in finance. As an undergraduate student, he participated in two exchange programs, studying as a Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona as well as at the Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Following graduation from UMD, Javier plans to pursue a career in the U.S. Foreign Service, helping to support American interests and promoting democratic values abroad.