Jesse Villarreal has been named executive vice president of government affairs and public policy director for Santander subsidiaries Santander Holdings USA and Sovereign Bank. Villarreal will manage Santander's relations with the government and run the its industry public policy efforts in the United States. He will be based in Boston. Prior to joining Santander, Villareal spent 10 years working for the US government, holding positions at the Treasury Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.