Become a Loan Specialist and Make a Difference in Rural America

By: Jennifer Williams, Public Affairs Specialist with USDA Rural Development Office of External Affairs

David Fulton has been a loan specialist for USDA Rural Development for five years. But Fulton witnessed the impact of RD’s programs long before joining the RD team. For 27 years, Fulton worked as a rural banker and saw first-hand the difference RD’s financial assistance programs had on rural people and their communities.

“I was aware of funding situations that USDA RD could do that we in banking couldn't,” Fulton said. “Their projects had the possibility to affect hundreds of people in the small towns that I lived in during my banking career.”

RD’s lending and financial assistance programs help rural people access capital to build robust and thriving communities. Rural Development offer loans, grants and loan guarantees to help create jobs and support economic development and essential services such as housing; health care; first responder services and equipment; and water, electric and communications infrastructure.

Oftentimes, RD programs can fill the gap in funding to ensure rural people have safe and clean drinking water, access to high-speed internet, affordable housing, and other vital resources. As a loan specialist for RD’s Water and Environmental programs, Fulton helps rural communities in Kansas, South Dakota, and central Nebraska fund water and sewer systems projects. He also works with stakeholders to identify funding for volunteer fire departments, libraries, and community buildings.

“The work that USDA RD does makes a major positive difference in rural America. It is rewarding to be part of that. You may help to solve a water or sewer issue for a small town or assist a volunteer fire department to secure needed equipment. You go home knowing your work has meaning!”

One of Fulton’s first projects with RD was to help a volunteer fire department in Burwell, Nebraska, secure funds to buy their first ever four-wheel drive ambulance. This fire department covers all of Garfield County in rural Nebraska where wet weather events like rain and snow made it a challenge to help those in the area.

“You have to care about people, first and foremost.? And care about rural America.? Especially small towns,” Fulton said.

The work RD staff put in every day is important and rewarding. But professional development opportunities, flexible work schedules, and meetings to network with RD staff are some of the many tools for growth within the agency. Find out how you can become apart of the USDA Rural Development team by checking out our Career page and our Current Job Opportunities page to apply for a loan specialist position today.

You can also follow us on LinkedIn for more information about staffing and job opportunities.