CRF - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- MANAGER of PORTFOLIO ANALYTICS
Job Titles:
- SVP, Small Business Chief Lending Officer
As CRF's Small Business Chief Lending Officer, Dishman is responsible for managing all aspects of the organization's small business lending function including expanding the technical assistance program for customers, management of the lending team, and managing organizational risk.
Dishman holds 20 years of corporate and nonprofit experience, including more than 14 years dedicated to small business lending. Prior to CRF, she served in leadership roles with Michigan Women, IFF, Bank of America, and Comerica Bank.
Dishman is a graduate of Michigan State University where she earned a degree in Finance, she also earned a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in Finance from Wayne State University.
Job Titles:
- Small Business Specialist / Especialista En Pequeñas Empresas
Every journey begins somewhere and Alma is here to help small business owners start.
Job Titles:
- LOAN BOARDING & INVOICING ADMIN LEAD
Job Titles:
- VP of COMMUNITY ADVANCEMENT
Job Titles:
- General Counsel
- Senior Associate
Bill worked in the Milwaukee business community for more than 30 years before retiring in 2011. Most of his career was spent as Managing Director at Mason Wells, the largest private equity firm in Wisconsin. Bill worked with management teams of small to medium sized companies to help them grow and improve. Bill has redirected his efforts to bring a business approach to reduce chronic unemployment and underemployment in Milwaukee. In 2013, he formed Milwaukee Community Business Collaborative, Inc. to bring a new pathway towards sustainable employment for motivated central city residents. In 2021, the organization was renamed JobsWork MKE.
Job Titles:
- Executive Director
- Executive Director / Chicago Community Loan Fund
- President of the Chicago Community Loan Fund
Calvin L. Holmes has served as the President of the Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) since 1998. CCLF is a non-profit, certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides flexible, affordable and responsible financing and technical assistance for community stabilization and development efforts and initiatives that benefit low- to moderate-income neighborhoods, families and individuals throughout metropolitan Chicago. Under his leadership, CCLF's lending is leveraging $1.1 billion in additional public- and private-sector capital in over 72 lower wealth Chicagoland communities, in turn supporting over 7,900 units of affordable housing, more than 3.2 million square feet of community facility and commercial/retail space as well as 2,905 jobs. In addition, CCLF has solidified its position as a leading early-stage lender for community developers, a primary lender for affordable housing cooperatives and social enterprises and a principal promoter of sustainable development in metropolitan Chicago. CCLF controls over $73 million in assets, making it one of the 10 largest nonprofit Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in Illinois, and was one of only eight organizations worldwide honored with the 2009 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. CCLF was also the recipient of Woodstock Institute's 2014 Community Investment Award for providing credit in communities of color that suffered from abandonment and winner of the 2014 Alford-Axelson Award for Nonprofit Managerial Excellence.
He is a recognized expert in community development finance, the Community Reinvestment Act and community issues involving housing and access to capital, and regularly presents at conferences and events on these topics.
Holmes' community development career spans 30 years, including work as a budget planner for a $140 million rapid-transit project and as property manager of a 200-unit assisted housing portfolio.
He currently serves as an advisor to the Community Development Advisory Board (appointed by President Obama), Bank of America National Community Advisory Council, Kroger Community Development Entity, LLC, PNC Bank Advisory Board (Illinois) and the Great Lakes Region Sustainability Funds LLC. He serves on the boards of the Cook County Land Bank Authority (Treasurer), Chicago Community Land Trust (Treasurer), South Suburban Land Bank and Development Authority and the Interfaith Housing Development Corporation of Chicago (Secretary). He is a member of the Appraisal Board for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and a board member for the Community and Economic Development Organization in Woodlawn, Washington Park and South Shore. He also serves on the awards selection committee of the Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards.
Holmes has been honored individually with many community leadership awards, including ones from the Chicago CRA Coalition and Bank of America. In 2001, Holmes was distinguished as one of Crain's Chicago's "40 Under 40" young leaders, and was a 2002-2003 Leadership Greater Chicago fellow.
He received a bachelor's degree in African American Studies from Northwestern University and a Master's degree in urban and regional planning, with a concentration in real estate development from Cornell University. Holmes received further leadership and skills development from Stanford University and the National Development Council.
Job Titles:
- Client Engagement Coordinator
Small business owners have enough on their plate without having to worry about complicated phone trees and endless hours on hold. Christian is CRF's small business customer experience coordinator (or rockstar) and he's here to help.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- Board Member of Opportunity Finance Network
- CEO of Oweesta Corporation
- President and CEO / Oweesta Corporation
Chrystel Cornelius is the CEO of Oweesta Corporation. As the only national Native CDFI intermediary, Oweesta's mission is to provide opportunities for Native people to develop assets and create wealth by assisting in the establishment of strong, permanent institutions and programs, contributing to economic independence and strengthening sovereignty for all Native communities. Oweesta provides Native CDFIs with debt capital investments, technical assistance, and training to deliver financial and wealth building education programs to Tribal members across the United States.
Chrystel has worked with Native communities for most of her professional career, with than 23 years of experience working in the Native economic development field. She is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians located in North Dakota. As a former tribal planner for seven years of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, she has extensive experience in tribal and rural economic development activities.
Chrystel was also the founding Executive Director of the Turtle Mountain CDFI, located in Belcourt, North Dakota. Incorporated in 2006, the organization provides an array of business development services to promote lending and technical assistance efforts to enhance entrepreneurial opportunities and individual asset attainment for its tribal membership.
Chrystel is also a board member of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) and holds the position of Treasurer for the Red Feather Development Group.
Chrystel attained a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Job Titles:
- Chief Risk Officer
- Vice Chair
- Senior Vice President ( SVP ), Chief Risk Officer - Payments
Daniel Spiller is Chief Risk Officer for U.S. Bank's Payment Services Division responsible for risk across retail and commercial card issuing and card acquiring businesses. He also served as Chief Risk Officer for Wholesale Banking, including Corporate Banking, Specialty Lending, Public Non-Profit Finance, Commercial Banking and Commercial Real Estate.
Previously, he served as Wholesale Banking's Chief Administrative Officer and a senior member of U.S. Bank's Corporate Treasury team, managing a variety of areas, including the Bank's equity investment portfolio, structured finance investments, municipal portfolio, the bank support desk and various on- and off-balance sheet strategies. He has significant experience in complex financial transactions, capital markets, and bankruptcy workouts.
In 2008, Mr. Spiller was named by the Twin Cities Business Journal as one of "Forty-under-Forty," the preeminent recognition for exceptional young business managers in Minnesota. In 2010, he was named a member of U.S. Bancorp's Circle of Excellence, recognizing the company's top leaders.
A graduate of Macalester College, Mr. Spiller obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from William Mitchell College of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- President
- Chairman of the Arizona Housing Commission
- President & Chief Executive Officer ( CEO ) Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc.
- President and Chief Executive Officer of Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc
David serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. (CPLC). Prior to being appointed President and CEO, David served as CPLC's President and Chief Economic Development Officer responsible for managing the economic development arm of the organization in Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico, including overseeing property management, real estate & commercial development, single and multi-housing services, housing counseling services, small business lending, employment services, and social ventures. Prior to this appointment, he served as CPLC Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer.
Adame is chairman of the Arizona Housing Commission, a position appointed by the Governor of Arizona. He holds a B.S. in Business from Arizona State University (ASU) and an MBA from the ASU School of Global Management.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Secretary
- GENERAL COUNSEL
As CRF's General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, Chapin advises the organization on corporate legal issues and oversees corporate compliance activities. In this role, Chapin helps CRF leaders to comply with program requirements and applicable laws.
Prior to joining CRF in 2013, Chapin worked as an internal auditor for a government contractor and managed contracts for a health system.
Chapin earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Macalester College, his Master of Science from Oklahoma State University, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Minnesota Law School. He is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and is a Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).
Job Titles:
- BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
Job Titles:
- Division Manager for the Midwest
- Division Manager, Midwest & Government Not - for - Profit
- Division Manager, Midwest & Government Not - for - Profit / Business Banking JP Morgan Chase Bank N.a.
Gavin Borowiak currently leads Midwest and Government /Not-for-Profit markets for Business Banking, part of Consumer & Community Banking for JPMorgan Chase.
As Division Manager for the Midwest, Gavin is responsible for leading a team of 300+ relationship managers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia focused on providing financial solutions to small business customers with revenue up to $20MM. The Government and Not for Profit segment provides financial solutions to local municipalities and social service enterprises through a team of 75 relationship managers across the nation.
Over his twenty year career with Chase, Gavin has served in a variety of roles including leading Business Banking's Anti-Money Laundering program as well as creating and leading Business Banking's Control program. Gavin also has extensive experience in Commercial Banking serving as Regional Credit Executive for Middle Market's West Region and leading a Middle Market sales team focused on Government and Not for Profit relationships.
Gavin received his MBA in finance and his BS in computer information systems from Arizona State University. Gavin and his wife live in Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- Chief Marketing Officer
- Chief Marketing Officer ( CMO ) and a Member
- Chief Marketing Officer / Teradata
Jacqueline Woods is Teradata's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and a member of the company's Executive Leadership Team. Woods is the company's chief storyteller and guides all aspects of marketing and communications, including strategic marketing planning and delivery, advertising, brand and reputation management, digital and social properties, as well as customer generation, influencer marketing, public relations, industry relations, events, corporate communications and creating enriching customer experiences.
Woods is a results-driven technology and marketing executive known for leading corporate transformations and leveraging modern marketing approaches that utilize data and insights to accelerate business outcomes. Recognized for her track record in successfully growing businesses, Woods' experience covers both business-to-business and business-to-consumer initiatives.
Woods joined Teradata from NielsenIQ where she was a member of the executive leadership team and Global Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, leading the revitalization of the company's brand, image, and perception. Previously, Woods was with IBM for nearly 10 years, including as CMO of IBM Global Partner Ecosystem Division, where she focused on building cloud, Data, AI and SaaS strategies. She also led strategy, marketing, communications, and offering management as the CMO of IBM Global Financing. Before that, she was Global Head of Customer Segmentation & Customer Experience at General Electric. Woods also held roles of increasing responsibility at Oracle for 10 years, as well as leadership roles at Ameritech and GTE.
Woods serves on the Board of Directors for Winnebago Industries, the Board of Trustees for Community Reinvestment Fund USA, and the board of the Greater Fairfield County Foundation, Inc.
Woods holds a BS from the University of California, Davis, and an MBA from the Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California.
Job Titles:
- VP of ANALYTICS and COMPLIANCE
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- CEO and Founder of Partners for the Common Good
- Chief Executive Officer / Partners for the Common Good & Community Development
Jeannine Jacokes is CEO and founder of Partners for the Common Good (PCG), a national CDFI intermediary that finances affordable housing and community facilities. PCG operates the CDFI industry's first national loan participation network and works with 60 CDFI lending partners to serve underserved communities. Jeannine also founded and currently serves as CEO of the Community Development Bankers Association (CDBA). CDBA is the national trade association for mission focused banks that are Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs).
Over her career, Jeannine has been integral to the growth of the CDFI and MDI sector and promoting access to capital in underserved communities. She served as a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs where she played a lead role in drafting the CDFI Fund's authorizing statute. She later joined U.S. Treasury on the leadership team that launched the CDFI Fund. Since 1994, the CDFI Fund has awarded more than $5 billion in grants to build the lending capacity of sector.
Jeannine left Treasury to start PCG and CDBA twenty years ago. Over the years, the organizations have led many of the Federal policy victories that have advanced the CDFI and MDI sectors, promoted access to capital in low income communities, and addressed the racial wealth gap. During the COVID pandemic and economic fall-out, CDBA led advocacy efforts that resulted in $12 billion in Federal resources being allocated to CDFIs and MDIs, including the creation of the Emergency Capital Investment Program (ECIP).
Jeannine received her Masters in Urban Planning for the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and her undergraduate degree from Aquinas College.
Job Titles:
- Chief Administrative Officer
- Chief Administrative Officer ( CAO )
As CRF's Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Jennifer Anderson oversees the organization's administrative operations by developing and setting strategic goals for each department, managing inter-departmental communication, and collaborating on policy implementation.
Anderson joined CRF in 2015 and has served in several roles at the organization, including senior vice president & chief financial officer and president. She has extensive experience as a senior executive in the financial services industry, including strong qualifications in strategic planning, change management, asset-based funding and staff development and leadership.
Prior to joining CRF, Anderson served as vice president and treasurer of AgriBank, FCB and held various leadership positions with Ally Financial. Earlier in her career, she worked in the fixed income markets as a trader and analyst with Bank of America.
Anderson earned her Bachelor of Science in economics with a mathematics emphasis from the University of Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- VP of BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & LENDING
- VP of Development and Lending
Job Titles:
- SVP of CDFI Loan Programs
As CRF's SVP of CDFI Fund programs, Novak is responsible for creating, planning, and executing strategy, business development, policies, revenue, and risk management for the organization's CDFI Fund programs. She also maintains full business line responsibility for the sourcing, closing, underwriting, ongoing management, compliance, and reporting of CRF's New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program and Bond Guarantee Program (BGP).
In her 27 years of experience, including 18+ year tenure in community development finance and impact investing, she has sourced, closed, and overseen the ongoing management of more than $2 billion in structured financed transactions and the compliance related to these federal programs.
Prior to CRF, she served in Piper Jaffray & Co.'s municipal finance group and held several positions at Wells Fargo. She holds a Bachelor of Arts from the College of Saint Benedict and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Saint Thomas.
Job Titles:
- Loan Reconciliation Analyst
Job Titles:
- Director of Product Management
Job Titles:
- CLIENT INVOICING SPECIALIST
Job Titles:
- Media Inquiries
- VP of MARKETING
As CRF's VP of Marketing, Bednarski is responsible for setting and managing the organization's marketing and communications strategy. With more than 15 years of experience, Bednarski also directs CRF's strategic internal and external communications, go-to-market strategies, product marketing, and customer experience.
Bednarski holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Business Administration degree from the University of St. Thomas.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member / Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation
Kathy Rock recently retired from the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), after thirty plus years in finance and community development. Ms. Rock has extensive experience in finance and risk management in the financial services industry, both domestic and international, including public, private and not-for-profit entities.
Most recently, Ms. Rock was the Chief Financial & Administrative Officer for LIIF, responsible for all financial activities (including capital raising), human resources, and information technology. Prior to joining LIIF as a member of the executive team, she served as a Board member and Chair of the Audit Committee. She has also served as Chief Financial & Risk Officer for the Calvert Impact Investments, and was head of Counterparty Risk Management for Freddie Mac, a position that she also held at Fannie Mae. While based in London with Genworth Financial Services, she served as Chief Financial Officer for Europe and Canada, and Senior Vice President for Loss Mitigation for the European Mortgage Insurance portfolio. She also served as Controller for the Federal Housing Administration, where she led a multi-billion dollar troubled asset sales program. She started her career with GE Capital in the financial management program, and held a number of positions of increasing responsibility in financial management. Ms. Rock is currently a Board member for Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) an affordable housing developer based in San Francisco.
Ms. Rock holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Maryland.
Job Titles:
- BUSINESS LENDING SALES SUPPORT SPECIALIST
As CRF's Chief Credit Officer (CCO), Argaw is responsible for overseeing the credit policies and operations for the organization's small business lending program. With nearly 20 years of credit experience, he is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and managing the credit risk management function, including credit policies and procedures, approval process, risk tolerance and oversight of collections and problem loan resolution.
Argaw holds an advanced economics degree from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia.
Job Titles:
- Director of Digital Experience
Job Titles:
- Board Director
- Secretary
- Kresge As a Program Officer
- Principal of Trudeau Consulting
Laura J. Trudeau is the Principal of Trudeau Consulting, LLC, a firm that supports cross-sector coalitions to address urgent community needs. Previously, she held the position at The Kresge Foundation as senior advisor to the president, following 10 years as managing director of Kresge's Detroit Program. In the latter capacity, she oversaw efforts to activate the foundation's multifaceted investment framework that fostered green, healthy, active neighborhoods and a vibrant downtown while increasing access to economic opportunity, education, transportation, and arts and culture. She worked nationally with community development grantmakers and practitioners to identify promising initiatives for the redevelopment of older industrial cities and helped strengthen connections between Detroit and other cities to encourage the sharing of innovative strategies.
Signature projects at Kresge during Trudeau's tenure included the revitalization of Detroit's East Riverfront and Eastern Market, the M-1 RAIL (QLINE) streetcar on Woodward Avenue that opened in May 2017, establishment of the Kresge Artist Fellows and the Detroit Revitalization Fellows, the Detroit Future City Strategic Framework Plan to improve conditions in neighborhoods, and the Foundation's involvement in the Fund for Detroit's Future (Grand Bargain), a foundation collaborative to resolve the City's bankruptcy filed in 2013.
Trudeau joined Kresge as a program officer in 2001, initially working on the foundation's national facilities capital challenge grant program. She was instrumental in developing Kresge's Green Building initiative that ran from 2002 to 2008. Previously, from 1972 to 2001, she worked at what is now JPMorgan Chase in the trust office, commercial banking and public affairs. And as Vice President and regional head for philanthropy and community relations in the Midwest, she oversaw the bank's grantmaking activity in Detroit and surrounding areas.
She chairs the board of Detroit Future City and is a member of the boards of Invest Detroit, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Pewabic Pottery, Detroit, and Venture North, Traverse City. Her past board and executive committee service includes the Local Initiatives Support Corporation Detroit Advisory Board, Gleaners Community Food Bank and Eastern Market Corporation.
She is a graduate of Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR of BOND GUARANTEE PROGRAM
Job Titles:
- LOAN COLLATERAL SPECIALIST II
Job Titles:
- Loan Reconciliation Analyst
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors
Luther M. Ragin, Jr. is the retired President and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN).
Prior to joining the GIIN, he served as the Chief Investment Officer of the New York-based FB Heron Foundation from 1999 to 2011. Ragin oversaw the Foundation's $300 million endowment, steadily increasing the "impact investing" allocation to more than 40 percent of the total portfolio while maintaining competitive, risk-adjusted financial returns. Prior to joining the Foundation in 1999, he was the Chief Financial Officer of the National Community Capital Association (now known as the Opportunity Finance Network), a trade association of high-performing community development financial institutions that provide access to capital in low-income, urban and rural communities.
Ragin is currently a member of the Board of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and the Altman Foundation. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Boards of Morgan Stanley's Institute for Sustainable Investing and the Economic Advancement Program of Open Society Foundations. In recent years, he has lectured at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Job Titles:
- Manager of Financial Planning & Analysis
Job Titles:
- CEO
- President
- President & CEO / Community Reinvestment Fund, Inc.
- President and CEO of Community Reinvestment Fund
Matthew Roth is President and CEO of Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF), a national CDFI with the mission to improve lives and strengthen communities through innovative financial solutions. Roth has more than 30 years of experience in community development finance and has extensive expertise in building and leading diverse teams, strategic planning, and capital raising.
Roth has dedicated his career to community development and is passionate about working in and with communities with a history of underrepresentation, especially those that have been systemically excluded from the financial mainstream.
Prior to joining CRF, he spent more than eight years at IFF, a Chicago-based regional CDFI, where he served most recently as President, Core Business Solutions. Leading IFF's CDFI businesses, the loan portfolio more than doubled to over $400 million, and Matt was successful in raising the equity and debt capital required to fuel that growth.
Prior to IFF, he held leadership positions at Generations Community Bancorp and Harris Bank and worked extensively with ShoreBank Corporation. Roth currently serves on the Boards of Neighborhood Housing Services, Chicago and the Woodstock Institute.
Roth holds a master's degree from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree from the Ross School of Business Administration at the University of Michigan.
Job Titles:
- SVP of Platform and Tech Services
As CRF's SVP of Platform & Tech Services, Davis works to build investment and technology partnerships with banks, institutional investors, nonprofits, and philanthropies to increase the flow of private capital to underinvested communities. Davis is responsible for the research, development, and execution of innovative new programs in advancement of CRF's organizational mission and vision.
Davis has extensive experience leading strategy, program design, and project execution for high-impact organizations in the economic development, entrepreneurship, and impact investing sectors. He is an effective coalition builder with a history of developing durable multi-stakeholder partnerships and a successful track record of designing and executing multi-million-dollar initiatives that create positive social impact and drive sustainable revenue outcomes.
Davis earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in economics and one in government and politics, from the University of Maryland.
Job Titles:
- SBA & COMMERCIAL LOAN LEAD
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Executive Vice President
- EVP and Director of Community Development at Citizens Bank
- Executive Vice President / Community Investment Director at Citizens Bank
Reza Aghamirzadeh is EVP and Director of Community Development at Citizens Bank. He oversees all of the company's Community Development and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) program management activities, including affordable lending and investment programs, community outreach, and regulatory compliance requirements. Since 2013, Citizens Community Development Group has committed more than $2 billion in loans and investments to support the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing and economic revitalization activities. These efforts have resulted in more than 15,000 new or rehabilitated housing units and development of more than 400,000 square feet of commercial space in low- and moderate-income communities served by Citizens.
Prior to joining Citizens Bank, he was the Senior Vice President and Manager for Community Development at Huntington Bank, overseeing the company's CRA related efforts, including community outreach, regulatory compliance and community lending and investment programs.
Altogether, Aghamirzadeh has more than 20 years of experience in community development and 25 years of experience in financial services. Over the course of his career, he has helped establish Community Development infrastructures for several of the leading financial services firms in the country, resulting in the channeling of billions of dollars in support of housing and economic development.
Aghamirzadeh serves as the Board Chair of Community Reinvestment Fund, USA.
He holds bachelor degrees in accounting and psychology from Portland State University and a M.B.A. in Strategic Management from the University of Minnesota.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- CEO of AltCap
Ruben Alonso III is CEO of AltCap, a multi-state, mission-driven and minority-controlled community development financial institution (CDFI) based in Kansas City, Missouri. In this role, he is responsible for the overall administration, management, ongoing growth and development, and strategic direction of the organization. Under Mr. Alonso's leadership, AltCap has grown from a community development entity specializing in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) facilitated financing, to a high performing, CDFI and Small Business Administration (SBA) microloan intermediary and Community Advantage lender providing alternative capital to communities and small businesses in Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas and California.
Since 2008, Mr. Alonso has led AltCap, initially focusing on its participation in the NMTC Program. He assisted the organization secure $213 million in allocation from the CDFI Fund which has resulted in over $250 million in impact investments in Missouri and Kansas since 2010. These investments range from a LEED Platinum manufacturing facility to a repurposed school building which is now home to a co-working space for small businesses. After AltCap became certified as a CDFI in 2016 and SBA microlender in 2017, Mr. Alonso led the development of its small business and microloan products, which have provided over $32 million in financing to entrepreneurs and small businesses underserved and overlooked by traditional financial institutions. From 2020 - 2022, Mr. Alonso led a civic and corporate capital raising effort to create a small business relief and recovery loan fund as well as stood up a Paycheck Protection Program loan operation which combined provided over $13 million in critical financing to small businesses impacted by the economic disruption caused by COVID-19. Currently he is spearheading the launch of a new revenue-based financing product for small businesses (in particular entrepreneurs of color) which is being supported by a $5 million program related investment by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Mr. Alonso continues to lead AltCap's growth and expansion, having reached over $32 million in assets (with an additional $100 million off-balance sheet) in 2022.
In addition to his role at AltCap, Mr. Alonso launched and sits on the board of directors of Community Capital Fund, AltCap's "sister" 501(c)3 that invests in innovative and measurable community development aligning with and strengthening the financial, human, and social capital of under-resourced neighborhoods in the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area, as well as equity2, AltCap's impact investment affiliate that is initially focused on offering equity financing to job-creating businesses and catalytic real estate development projects in Opportunity Zones in Missouri and Kansas. Mr. Alonso is a Class B member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City and also serves on the Board of Directors, the Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF), a national CDFI that has driven more than $3.5 billion in loans, investments and bonds to change lives and transform economically challenged neighborhoods into thriving communities, and Midtown KC Now. Mr. Alonso is also an adjunct professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City's Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Design where he teaches a course in urban redevelopment.
Prior to his time at AltCap, Mr. Alonso was a Development Finance Project Manager for the City of Kansas City, Missouri where he Led the financial analysis and evaluation of over $500 million in publicly subsidized real estate development projects using fiscal impact modeling, risk assessment, financial analysis and tax revenue forecasting. Before relocating to Kansas City, Ruben lived in Los Angeles where he attended graduate school at the University of Southern California and was a Program Manager and Consultant for the Los Angeles Minority Business Enterprise Center where he managed economic development initiatives designed to develop and grow minority-owned small and medium sized enterprises through increased access to capital and contracting opportunities. Mr. Alonso's additional professional experience includes corporate finance and accounting roles with EMI Recorded Music in Los Angeles and New York City as well as Salomon Smith Barney in New York City.
Mr. Alonso was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Slovakia where he supported a microlending and business development non-governmental organization, taught English at a local secondary school and helped found a local boxing club for Romani youth. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from the University of Miami and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Southern California.
Mr. Alonso attributes his passion for making capital more accessible to small businesses underserved and overlooked by mainstream finance to his family who emigrated from Cuba in the late 1950s and early 1960s - many of whom achieved the American dream through entrepreneurship and the support of their community.
Job Titles:
- ASSOCIATE GENERAL COUNSEL
Job Titles:
- LOAN COLLATERAL SPECIALIST II
Job Titles:
- Director of Enterprise Data Management and Analytics
Job Titles:
- DIGITAL MARKETING SPECIALIST
Job Titles:
- ACCOUNTANT STRUCTURED FINANCE
Previously, Kent served as president of River Branch Capital LLC and a member of RBH's board of directors and investment committee. He also ran the investment banking business at RBH. He joined River Branch in 2011 from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., where he served as a managing director for 13 years. At KBW, Kent led the Chicago office in merger and acquisition transactions and capital markets activities for banks, thrifts and insurance, mortgage banking and finance companies, achieving a No. 1 market share for Midwest regional bank transactions. Prior to joining KBW, he was a managing director and head of the financial institutions group at Robert W. Baird & Co., where he acted as a member of Baird's board of directors and operating and capital commitment committees. Prior to joining Baird in 1982, he was vice president of investments for Firstar Corporation.
Kent received a bachelor's degree in economics from Ripon College and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Job Titles:
- DIRECTOR of SMALL BUSINESS CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Applying for small business financing isn't always easy. That's why Sue is committed to working with CRF customers every step of the way.
Job Titles:
- LOAN SERVICING GENERALIST
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Board Member / Neighborhood Lending Partners
- Expert
Tony Brown is a nationally recognized expert in the field of community development and finance with more than 35 years of development finance experience and proven results. As President and CEO of T. Brown Consulting Group (TBCG), Tony attracts private capital by leveraging tax credit programs and his technical financial skills. These skills help communities, businesses, governments, and lenders devise capital solutions for community development that result in real estate and small business initiatives across the country. Tony's capital solutions have resulted in over $10 billion in private capital, to flow into underserved areas across America.
As Director of the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund- United States Department of Treasury, Tony successfully implemented the New Markets Tax Credit Program. In this role he supervised the first $6 billion in tax credit authority allocated. He provided regulatory oversight of billions in CDFI Fund assets and measured the impact of the nation's investments in community development entities and financial institutions. Secretary of Treasury John Snow honored Tony with appreciation for his "Contributions to the effective and efficient operations of the Department of Treasury."
Tony holds a M.B.A. in Finance and a B.A. in International Affairs and Business from Xavier University.
Job Titles:
- Founder of the Opa - Locka Community Development Corporation
- Founder, CEO & President / Opa - Locka Community Development Corporation
- Founder, Chief Executive Officer ( CEO ) & President
Willie F. Logan is a founder of the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation (OLCDC) and has served as its CEO and president since 1980. In addition to his work with the OLCDC, Logan served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1982 to 2000 and was elected Democrat Speaker-Designate from 1998 to 2000. He also served as Mayor of the City of Opa-locka from 1980 to 1982. Logan earned his Ph.D. in Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University and his M.B.A. and Bachelor's in Accounting from the University of Miami where he is an adjunct faculty member in the School of Architecture.
Dr. Logan is a sought after speaker at many different housing and community development conferences and recently he has spoken at the First Future of Places International Conference on Public Space and Placemaking in Stockholm, Sweden and in Rome, Italy 2013; the Future of Places International Conference on Streets as Public Spaces and Drivers of Urban Prosperity in Buenos Aires, Argentina 2014. Finally, he spoke at the Project for Public Spaces Conference on Public Markets, Barcelona, Spain 2015.
He is also a published author and his writing includes a chapter entitled "Revitalization & Transforming the Community" in the Future of Places book Shifting from Objects to Places published by Ax:son Johnson Foundation, Stockholm 2014.