Unique Professional Development Program ‘by CDFIs for CDFIs’ to Advance Opportunity Finance Expertise Across the U.S.
Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) and the Citi Foundation today announced the selection of 50 Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) professionals to take part in the Citi Leadership Program for Opportunity Finance. Mary Elizabeth Evans and Dee Jones are two of the professionals selected for this program.
The 10-month course begins in January.
Vice President of Community and Economic Development Mary Elizabeth Evans and Program Officer and Dee Jones at HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation/Hope Credit Union) were chosen from more than 120 applicants nationwide. The selections reflect the diversity of CDFIs and the low-income, low-wealth, and other disadvantaged communities they serve. HOPE’s mission is to strengthen communities, build assets, and improve lives in economically distressed areas across the Mid South. HOPE has 19 offices in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
“We are honored that two of our staff have been selected to participate in such a prestigious program,” said HOPE CEO Bill Bynum. “HOPE’s staff includes tremendously skilled and highly dedicated individuals, which we must have to meet the challenges that face our region. This initiative will develop additional skill sets that will equip Mary Elizabeth and Dee to make even stronger contributions to our mission.”
The program will include three separate career level cohorts, with 11 Executive Leaders, 19 Mid-career Leaders, and 20 Emerging Leaders. Evans was selected to participate in the Emerging Leaders and Jones in the Mid-Career level.
“Developed by CDFIs for CDFIs, the program supports professionals who strive to lead transformational—structural and systemic—change,” said Mark Pinsky, CEO of OFN. “OFN is excited to be able to offer this unique CDFI leadership program with the generous support of the Citi Foundation, which has supported the CDFI industry for more than 20 years.” Participants come from 21 states and the District of Columbia. They represent a variety of CDFI types and specialties, including commercial real estate lending, microfinance, consumer finance, and affordable-housing finance.
A complete list of participants is available at: http://ofn.org/leadership
About HOPE
HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation/Hope Credit Union) is a community development financial institution, community development intermediary and policy center that provides affordable financial services; leverages private, public and philanthropic resources; and engages in policy analysis in order to fulfill its mission of strengthening communities, building assets, and improving lives in economically distressed parts of the Mid South.
Since 1994, HOPE has generated more than $1.7 billion in financing and related services for the unbanked and underbanked, entrepreneurs, homeowners, nonprofit organizations, health care providers and other community development purposes. Collectively, these projects have benefitted more than 400,000 individuals in the Delta, Katrina-affected areas and other distressed communities throughout Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. This impact has been substantially multiplied by HOPE’s policy and intermediary efforts, which have informed and influenced the flow of public and private resources to assist disenfranchised people and places across the Mid South and nationwide.
About Opportunity Finance Network
Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), the leading network of private financial institutions, creates growth that is good for communities, investors, individuals, and the economy. Members of OFN are community development financial institutions (CDFIs) that deliver responsible lending to help low-wealth and low- income communities join the economic mainstream. Through 2011, OFN’s network originated more than $30 billion in financing in urban, rural, and Native communities, and financed 940,000 housing units, 83,000 business and microenterprises, and 9,000 community facilities. More information is available at www.opportunityfinance.net.
About the Citi Foundation
The Citi Foundation is committed to the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of low- to moderate-income individuals and families in the communities where we work so that they can improve their standard of living. Globally, the Citi Foundation targets its strategic giving to priority focus areas: Microfinance, Enterprise Development, College Success, and Financial Capability and Asset Building. In the United States, the Citi Foundation also supports Neighborhood Revitalization programs. The Citi Foundation works with its partners in Microfinance, Enterprise Development, and Neighborhood Revitalization to support environmental programs and innovations. Additional information can be found at www.citifoundation.com.