By LisaMarie Martinez
“Life is what you make it,” said Patricia Barela Rivera, and what a life she made.
Rivera recently retired as Small Business Administration Colorado District Director after 11 years of service; which completed her 20 years of federal service.
Born in Corrales, N.M., a “rancherita,” Spanish for a little girl who was raised on a ranch, Rivera referred to herself as being a Latina with red chili running through her veins. Her mother taught her to be thankful, to have a sense of humanity and to value God’s presence in her life. Her father taught her strength when he diligently demanded her to ‘get back on that horse,’ after she repeatedly fell in the mud.
To her, the real world did not want to see people of color in leadership positions, and yet through her passion, strength and desire to help others, her career began and continued to be one of servant leadership.
“I have a lot of energy and passion. I’m passionate about everything. My number one priority in life is to give back what was given to me; because ‘una mano se lava la otra,’ one hand washes the other, and when you give of yourself, it comes back tenfold,” said Rivera.
In 1970, she became the career and placement director for the University of Albuquerque. She was the regional civil rights/equal employment opportunity specialist for the U.S. Forest Service and regional management trainer for the Office of Personnel Management for the Rocky Mountain Region.
Founding a successful management consulting and training firm, PBR & Associates Inc., she became nationally known for her keynote addresses and motivational and professional development seminars on leadership, diversity issues, management, human resources and strategic planning for small businesses. PBR stood for Patricia Barela Rivera, which included the surnames of her father and mother respectively.
Next, in Governor Romer’s Office, she served as the deputy director of the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and director for citizen advocacy and outreach. The SBA Colorado District position followed, when Rivera became the first Hispanic woman in the country hired to lead a district office.
Under her direction, the Colorado Office of the SBA approved some 17,500 small business loans worth nearly $2 billion and received national recognition including the Administrator’s Award for Excellence for the Greatest Increase in Emerging Markets. Based on her desire to acknowledge the small businesses given loans by the SBA; she created the Wall of Fame in 2003, which has grown to honor more than 50 small businesses. In 2007, Rivera received the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce’s prestigious Athena Award and the Women’s Foundation of Colorado’s Be Bold Award.
Despite all her accomplishments and awards, Rivera seems to have remained well-grounded, and she recognized she could not have done it alone. 
“I’m very spiritual and I believe in God,” revealed Rivera.
She expressed her thankfulness to have had an incredible staff and considered them one of the best staffs in the country. They went from about 60 employees to 10 employees, and had to strategically plan every year to remove unnecessary projects and retain necessary projects to meet goals for: women, international trade, and veterans.
She ran the organization like a small business and got all the SBA employees out in the community; her staff averaged 270-310 events per year and conducted free customer-friendly, resource fairs. She acknowledged the public and private relationships she formed with: Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s office, the various chambers, Governor Bill Ritter’s office, the City and County of Denver, and the state economic development office. She expressed her appreciation of the entire Colorado community and her SBA partners: Mi Casa Resource Center, Score, and the Small Business Development Center.
She emphasized power was in numbers and without good personal and professional relationships, nothing could get done.
“We lose if we start picking and choosing, taking sides from city to city/county to county, because situations need to be win-win. Everyone is going for that same piece of pie, yet that financial pie is lessening for everyone; therefore, partnering is important,” said Rivera.
Despite these successfully formed partnerships, Rivera experienced periods of adversity yet managed to overcome them with a smile.
“Being a Hispanic woman in the U.S. is still very difficult because we’re tested everyday,” said Rivera. Being in a predominately male profession, Rivera experienced daily adversity due to negative portrayals of Hispanics by the media and stereotypes that Hispanics lack education and leadership skills and are not political or articulate. She put on a suit of armor everyday, which consisted of resourcefulness, perseverance, professionalism, integrity, self-determination and self-respect; as a way to break the stereotypical cycle.
To her, adversity brought opportunity: “‘No hay mal porque no bien venga.’ No matter how bad it may seem, it’s all for the best,” said Rivera.
Through adversity she learned to be a kinder, gentler person because she viewed life as being too short.
“I learned to really look at how I can add value to another human being’s life every single day, by either smiling on the phone or displaying sincerity, because when you’re coming from your heart, people feel it,” said Rivera.
Her passion for diversity grew when she created and orchestrated a diversity plan, under former Governor Roy Romer. This plan to create diversity within the state’s 28 agencies was the only one of its kind in the country. She applied an approach to diversity to the SBA by requiring balance, equity, fairness and doing the right thing as guidelines when it came to forming committees and assigning projects. In times of struggle related to diversity, especially for Latinas and other women of color, Rivera reiterated the importance of maintaining a positive attitude.
“Know who you are. Take responsibility for every one of your actions. Never blame anyone else for things that are not coming through for you; instead, try to think how you can get through it. Know that there are people who will take you on daily, and that there are some battles you fight and some that you don’t. Take a deep breath and keep moving on with a positive attitude,” she explained.
Rivera’s positive attitude and desire to “be a light are what she would like others to remember about her, when their paths cross.
“It’s about being positive everyday. People in this world feel so hopeless and helpless. Life is very hard and they need to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s not easy but they’ll get through it. If I can be that glimmer of light to someone with my smile, words or a hug, and put a smile on their heart, then I’ve succeeded in my life,” said Rivera.
Her mother had prayed for her daughter to have this light within herself. Rivera said earlier this year as she was planning to retire, her mother said to her, “I can now die in peace, knowing that you can really take care of yourself, that you can handle life.”
Rivera’s mission now is to relax and enjoy the fruits of her labor. In her retirement, she is going home to spend time with her parents in New Mexico. Putting away her suits and staying in her pajamas is her main agenda, at least for now. She intends to cook, surround herself with fun people, travel, rest and go to movies – all with absolutely no makeup on.
As of press time, no individual has been named to replace Rivera as Colorado District director of the SBA. The SBA can be reached through its Web site at www.sba.gov and by calling 303-844-2607.
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