Latinas at the U.S. Secret Service
By Gloria Romano-Barrera
The Secret Service ensures the safety of the president, the vice president, their families, the White House, the vice president's residence, visiting foreign heads of state, and more. From protecting world leaders to sharing threat assessment expertise for public safety to protecting the integrity of U.S. currency and fight cybercrime to safeguard America’s financial infrastructure, Darnelly De Jesus, Deputy Assistant Director, Office of Training; Maria Ovalles, Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Information Officer, and Maria E. Ruano, Inspector, Uniformed Division at the United States Secret Service have dedicated their career and lives to serving in the most elite law enforcement agencies in the world.
As a special agent, she has traveled around the world representing the Secret Service and leading the security planning for U.S. leaders, experiences that have been both rewarding and exciting. She reflects on moments like flying in a Chinook in Iraq on a surprise trip by the administration to support the troops or sitting next to the vice president on a helicopter ride to the nation’s capital. She recalls looking out the helicopter window thinking, “Wow. This girl from Jersey is in charge of ensuring the Vice President arrives safely,”
Deputy Assistant Director De Jesus is a trailblazer in her family, being the first to earn a college degree and join a law enforcement agency. She takes immense pride in how her Latina heritage has shaped her into the person she is today.
“Being a Latina is my superpower,” she shares. “It is that drive and resilience that my mom instilled in me early on to work hard, keep learning, and continue striving to reach my highest potential. My modest upbringing in Union City, New Jersey, surrounded by family, instilled in me the value of hard work, resilience, and the importance of chasing my dreams.”
Grateful for her Latina roots and the values instilled in her, she is proud to serve as the first Latina Deputy Assistant Director in the history of the Secret Service. This achievement empowers her to bring positive change to the agency and ensure that its workforce reflects the communities it serves.
“It is challenging to aspire to a position that seems unattainable, especially when there are no role models that look like you,” she shares. “It took me two decades to meet a Latina executive in the federal government, and I am committed to changing that. That's why I am passionate about recruiting, retaining, and advancing women, especially Latinas, in all levels of organizations, including executive positions.”
Maria E. Ruano Inspector, Uniformed Division, United States Secret Service
Darnelly De Jesus Deputy Assistant Director, Office of Training, United States Secret Service
As the Deputy Assistant Director in the Office of Training, de Jesus has oversight of the James J. Rowley Training Center, where she leads the design and delivery of curriculum for basic, in-service, professional development, and proficiency training for more than 7,000 employees.
“Our training academy is top notch, and we have a team of amazing instructors and class coordinators who work tirelessly to ensure that our employees receive nothing less than the very best in training,” she shares. “What I find the most rewarding about my position is attending the graduations of our employees. It's an incredible feeling to witness the sense of accomplishment on the faces of our recruits, as well as the pride of their families. As I watch them celebrate their achievements and transition to their new roles, I can't help but feel nostalgic about my own graduation and how proud I was to successfully complete the training. To take the oath as a special agent for such an elite agency was an unforgettable moment, and it's an honor to help others achieve the same sense of pride and accomplishment as they become sworned law enforcement professionals.”
Sworn in as a federal police officer with the Secret Service Uniformed Division in September 2006, Maria Ruano is an inspector with the Uniformed Division of United States Secret Service and has more than 15 years of federal law enforcement experience.
A native of Guatemala who grew up in South Florida, Inspector Ruano shares that ever since she can remember, she has had a strong desire to work in law enforcement. Today, Ruano is assigned to the Secret Service Uniformed Division White House Branch in support of the Presidential Protective Division where she oversees personnel operations and daily activities assigned to the White House. “We deal not only with the protection of the President and the Vice President, but also of the White House complex,” she shares of her responsibilities.
“It could be from motorcade movements, to facilitating the movements of the President and Vice President. We work daily with our local law enforcement partners in the area, because we're also tasked with ensuring the safety of thousands of tourists that come to visit us on Pennsylvania Avenue every day. But one of the things that I do enjoy most aside from that is as a senior leader, I am able to affect real change within my division and having the voice and the platform to do so.”
Ruano had no prior experience in law enforcement or the military, so she was unaware of all the opportunities available to her when she began her Secret Service career. She is grateful that the agency gave her the opportunity to advance to sergeant, lieutenant, captain and now inspector.
“I come from a third world country, and I didn't take for granted the freedoms that this country has afforded me and my family,” she shares. “I think that's one of the main reasons I joined the Secret Service, to give back to this country.
In 2020, she was promoted to the rank of captain and became the first Latina to achieve that rank. And now as an inspector, she is extremely proud to put Latinos on the forefront and demonstrate that Latinos can attain these positions that in the past have been largely occupied by men.
Maria Ovalles Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Information Officer, United States Secret Service
A federal leader with 20 years of experience, Maria Ovalles, is the Chief of Staff of the United States Secret Service Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO). As the Chief of Staff to the CIO, she leads the daily administrative and support functions for 350+ federal and contractor personnel and collaborates with senior leaders to ensure execution of the CIO’s strategy.
“I like working with people,” she shares when asked what aspect of her role she enjoys most. “I’m usually behind the scenes, collaborating with other managers and checking on employees to see how I can help them with their career growth, plans, training, whatever it might be.” Ovalles began her federal career in 2003 as a Logistics Manager in the U.S. Air Force (USAF) where she managed and coordinated logistics and weapon system sustainment.
Throughout her career, she held federal positions of increasing responsibility at various military bases and the Pentagon managing diverse teams across several functions, including transformation, program and portfolio management, logistics, budget, acquisition, strategic planning, training, and policy. Ovalles completed her Senior Executive Service Detail at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as Executive Director for Special Agent Policy, Strategy & Transformation in the Office of Protective Services (OPS). In that role she led transformational efforts to improve NASA’s security management practices.
Ovalles joined the Secret Service in 2017 as a Program Manager in the Technical Security Division (TSD), where she pioneered the Aviation Program to provide policies and procedures for effective, safe, and secure aviation operations. She also served as acquisition program manager for more than 15 physical security programs. Most recently, Ovalles became Senior Executive Service certified, making her one of the few Latinas in the agency to have her executive qualifications approved by the Office of Personnel Management.
One of Ovalles’ favorite Secret Service memories is working as a project manager inside the White House. No matter how many times she has been inside the White House, she shares she still gets goosebumps of excitement.
“A few years ago, I was working on a project, and I had the opportunity to go up to the roof of the White House” she shares. “It was around 11 p.m. and there was just silence, and as I was looking at the Washington Monument, and the Counter Sniper team, I thought, ‘is this really happening? somebody pinch me.’ There are a lot of opportunities for Latinas in this agency.”
The only person in her family working for the federal government, Ovalles maintains her deep Venezuelan heritage. “I don’t believe my parents really understand everything I do, but I know I make them proud, which matters because they sacrificed so much for me.” Born in the U.S. to immigrant parents and raised in Venezuela, Ovalles experienced first-hand what is like to pack her belongings in one bag and leave the country where she grew up to learn English as a second language and rebuild her life. Today she believes her upbringing has shaped who she is.
“It has really made me who I am today in the sense that I take my professional career very seriously,” she shares. “Nobody can deny my work ethic and resilience in general, I just don't take things for granted. You get to have that perspective in life of how everything can be gone in a second. It also gives a strong sense of community and connection with other Latinos and immigrants. Now I have a daughter, and I want to ensure a better future for her.”
Ovalles also credits her mentors and support system for her success. As she believes she wouldn’t be where she is without them.
“I'm definitely the product of mentoring and coaching,” she shares. “There's just no way I could be here or do what I do without everyone that I've had throughout my career supporting me along the way; I’ve had amazing supervisors, mentors, and good coworkers. This goes back to having a diverse support community. It’s important to have mentors and coaches from different backgrounds who you can talk to, and bounce ideas. People who are honest with you, and champion you because that’s the only way you’re going to grow. I would tell other Latinas to know their value and build a good network, it’s not always easy but don’t give up.”
Ovalles wants to continue to focus on hiring, employee engagement, and employee development at the Secret Service. “There are incredible opportunities in this agency, and many people don’t realize that the Secret Services hires in numerous career fields, it’s not just agents, we have chemists, psychologists, engineers, lawyers, you name it,” she says. “I’m always rooting for Latinas of course, because they are out of the box thinkers, if you give them something to do, they will get it done, they are resilient and resourceful.”