Speakers 2009
Allison Kelly, Director, VidaCard MasterCard®
Allison is responsible for launching and managing entrepreneurial initiatives at Pacific Community Ventures in areas such as health care, banking, and asset building that create new opportunities for small businesses and their employees. Allison is the Director of VidaCard MasterCard® and Statewide Director of Employee OnRamp Initiatives for Pacific Community Ventures. Prior to joining PCV, Allison focused on strategic planning and product management in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, and on social marketing of public health products in developing countries. Allison holds a BA with honors in Psychology and English from the University of Oregon and an MBA in international management from Thunderbird, School of Global Management.
Andrea Levere, President, CFED
Andrea is president of CFED in Washington, D.C. and has overall management responsibilities for the consistent pursuit of CFED's mission, for its long-term strategies and its day-to-day operations. Under Ms. Levere's energetic direction, CFED has thrived in its mission to expand economic opportunity for low-income people and disadvantaged communities.
At the helm of CFED, Ms. Levere has developed an unprecedented partnership with the Federal Reserve System to address the inability of many Americans to build personal savings and assets. Together CFED and the Federal Reserve System have held a series of forums highlighting innovations in asset-building policy, products and programs and continue to identify long-term initiatives with national impact.
Ms. Levere has also launched CFED's new initiative to address the challenges faced by the 10 million American families who live in manufactured homes. She also oversees CFED's largest program, a 10-year initiative to test and promote children's savings accounts called SEED (Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship and Downpayment).
Ms. Levere has added staff and resources to CFEDs policy and communications efforts, leading to a number of policy victories in state legislatures and growing attention to the issue of asset-building in the national media. Her leadership has been recognized by donors who have contributed more than $2 million toward CFED's endowment fund and are making multi-year commitments to CFED's policy change efforts.
She received a bachelor's degree in 1977 from Brown University and a master's degree in public and private management from the Yale School of Management in 1983. She was awarded the Alumni Recognition Award from the Yale School of Management in 2001 for exemplary commitment to the field of economic development and the mission of the Yale School of Management.
Anne Haines Yatskowitz, Co-Founder, ACCION New Mexico • Arizona • Colorado
Anne co-founded ACCION New Mexico • Arizona • Colorado in 1994. She is responsible for overall program oversight, staff supervision, fiscal management and board development, among other duties. Prior to founding ACCION New Mexico • Arizona • Colorado, Anne served as the marketing and program director for the Micro Industry Credit Rural Organization of Project PPEP in Arizona.
Among the many honors she has received, the New Mexico Business Weekly named Anne among the state's top ten Women of Influence in 2006 and one of the state's top Power Brokers in 2005. She is a past recipient of the Minority Business Advocate of the Year Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency for an 11-state region. She was also named the U.S. Small Business Administration's Financial Services Advocate of the Year in 1996.
Anne received her bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut and a master's degree in management from the Atkinson Graduate School of Management at Willamette University in Oregon.
Ben Mangan, President, CEO and Co-Founder, EARN.
Since 2002, EARN's 2000+ Savers have put aside over $2.2 million of their own money, and successfully invested millions in college degrees, small business start-ups, and first homes. Ben also founded and leads EARN's California-wide asset policy initiative, the Asset Policy Initiative of California (APIC, online at www.assetpolicy.org), which drives leadership, public will, and policy change for low wage workers in California.
EARN was the 2005 winner of the Fast Company Magazine/Monitor Group Social Capitalist of the Year Award, and was named one of the ten finalists in the 2005 Amazon.com Non Profit Innovation Award.
Ben has more than 15 years of experience in public policy and management, in the areas of education, affordable housing, business development and strategy. Ben was the Midwest Practice Leader for Ernst & Young's Public Private Development Group in Chicago. In this capacity, he led efforts to find solutions to policy, development and strategy problems for public, private and non-profit clients. Immediately prior to joining EARN, Ben served as the Director of Organizational Strategy for an international internet firm.
Ben has worked as a middle and high school teacher, a college admissions officer and an archaeologist. He is from Brooklyn, NY, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Vassar College as well as a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
In 2005, Ben was appointed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Private Industry Council. He also serves on the Board of the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA).
Bob A. Annibale, Global Director, Citi Microfinance
Bob Annibale is Global Director of Citi Microfinance. He leads Citi's commercial relationships with microfinance institutions, on a multi-business and multi-product basis, providing financing and product partnerships to institutions that serve the poor and the unbanked.
He joined Citibank in 1982. After a first assignment in Athens, he held a number of senior treasury, risk and corporate positions in Citigroup in Bahrain, Kenya, London and New York. Bob completed his BA degrees in History and Political Science at Vassar College and his Masters Degree in African Studies (History) at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies.
Bob serves on a number of external boards and councils, including the Board of Advisors for the United Nations Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, the University of London, Institute of Commonwealth Studies and the University of Oxford's St. Anthony's College (Centre for the Study of African Economies).
He represents Citi on the Board of the Microfinance Information Exchange, the Council of Microfinance Equity Funds, the SEEP Network, the Microfinance Network and the Executive Committee of CGAP (World Bank).
Caleb Zigas, Director of Operations, La Cocina
Caleb began working in kitchens in his hometown of Washington, DC (Ruppert's Restaurant, his all-time favorite) and has been working with the food industry ever since. While attending the University of Michigan, Caleb worked weekends as a butcher and nights as a waiter, ultimately moving into front of the house management. With a degree in globalization, Caleb interned at ProMujer, in El Alto, Bolivia, working with microentrpeneurs in the country's fastest growing city. As Director of Operations at La Cocina, Caleb works with over 20 microentrepreneurs who are in the process of launching, growing or formalizing their food businesses. Caleb is fluent in Spanish, a trained diversity leader, California Food Safety Manager and HACCP certified. He brings a passion for food and a belief that every cook should have an opportunity to earn a living doing what they love to do. Favorite foods: chicken soup, steamed pork buns, molletes and nearly anything with miso.
Chris Larsen, CEO and Co-Founder, Prosper
Chris Larsen is CEO and Co-Founder of Prosper, America's largest people-to-people lending marketplace with over 800,000 members and $175 million in funded loans. Prosper is a continuation of Larsen's commitment to leveraging the Internet to make consumer lending more efficient, transparent, and trustworthy. Prior to Prosper, Larsen co-founded and served as Chairman and CEO of E-LOAN. Under his leadership, E-LOAN became the first company to provide consumers with access to their credit scores, and played a critical role in the passage of the strongest consumer financial privacy protection law in the nation. Mr. Larsen holds an M.B.A. degree from Stanford University and a B.S. degree from San Francisco State University, where he was named the 2004 Alumnus of the Year.
Claudia Viek, CEO, CAMEO
Claudia comes with over twenty-five years of experience in microenterprise and community development. Before joining CAMEO she ran a consulting practice that focused on building equity in low-income communities, with projects that promoted strong and sustainable businesses and nonprofits, and that increased assets and access to capital.
For fourteen years she was President of the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, an award-winning training, financing, and business incubator program serving the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been a pioneer of business incubation strategies in California and founded the Pacific Incubation Network, a west coast regional alliance of business incubators
Claudia was a recent Past President and board member of NAWBO's (National Association of Women Business Owners) San Francisco Bay Area chapter. In addition, she currently serves on the boards of Mal Warwick & Associates, a direct mail enterprise, Working Solutions, a microenterprise fund, and is President of the Board of the St. John's Educational Thresholds Center, a youth development program in the Mission District.
Claudia has an AB from William Smith College and has done graduate work in Urban Studies. She has one son, four stepsons, and seven grandchildren and lives in San Francisco.
Cristina Besher, Owner, Kika's Treats
Cristina Besher (or "Kika", her family nickname) grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil, one of the tropical lands of cacao. She holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Sao Paulo and had a 10-year career in the private sector, working with both National and Multinational companies in Brazil. In 1999 she came to San Francisco to attend a 4-month class on Fundraising and Administration for Non-Profits, with the intent of changing her focus of work. A lifelong baker and lover of all things sweet, upon arriving here and realizing what a culinary mecca the Bay Area was, she decided instead to pursue a career in the pastry world, one of her long time dreams. She was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work at many different wonderful eateries, from restaurants to bakeries and catering companies, learning her craft from some of the finest chefs around. In 2005 she was introduced to La Cocina, fell in love with it and decided to launch Kika's Treats, a company that manufactures and wholesales all-natural chocolate-covered baked goods, made with the best local and organic ingredients.
Deborah Lindholm, Founder and CEO, Foundation for Women
"I met a woman who borrowed $4 - she had never seen $4 in her life. She bought a comb, a pair of scissors and a mirror and she put her husband in business as a barber. Now she has a home and her children are in school. All because of $4."
Deborah Lindholm loves to tell this story and many similar ones. Whether in the poorest villages of southern India or Africa or in her community of San Diego, she is committed to helping women reach their full potential. That's why she started the Foundation for Women in 1997.
Deborah holds a masters degree in education and counseling and her Ph.D. work is in clinical psychology. She has more than 35 years experience in education, business and counseling settings helping people achieve their dreams and goals. Her international business experience is extensive. It was this experience that gave her the opportunity to witness many different cultures in many different countries - and witness the similarities among women.
Deborah is passionate about the work of the Foundation for Women (FFW). Founded on service, the FFW is dedicated to eliminating global poverty by creating and funding microcredit programs globally and locally. Providing funding for microcredit programs for the poorest of the poor helps those living on less than $1 day, reaching those women she has connected with in so many places. Programs are currently in place in India, Zambia, Niger and Liberia. Domestically the microcredit program in San Diego is reaching women and families living below the U.S. poverty line, giving them business capital, support and encouragement.
Deborah is committed to community service. She is a member of Rotary and has served in several board capacities; currently she is Microcredit Chair for District 5340 and International Chair for her club. She is a founding member and board member of the global Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit. She is a member of the Women's Leadership Board at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is a board member of the International Women's Coffee Alliance. Deborah has been the recipient of a number of prestigious awards highlighting outstanding work in the non-profit sector: bizSan Diego Magazine highlights 20 powerful women in San Diego 2008, Habitat for Humanity Groundbreaking Award Nominee 2008, Soroptimist International 2007 Making a Difference Woman Award Honoree 2007, San Diego Metropolitan Magazine Movers to Watch in 2007, Southern California Media Professional Magna Award, San Diego County Women's Hall of Fame Inductee 2006, The Lifetime Achievement Award for Literacy from Rotary District 5340, San Diego Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business Award, San Diego Business Journal's Multicultural Heritage Award, Channel 10 Leadership Award, The Rudy Awards, and United States Congresswoman Susan A. Davis acknowledged the FFW by special proclamation for remarkable work in Microcredit.
Elaine Edgcomb, Director, FIELD The Aspen Institute
Elaine Edgcomb has been Director of the Aspen Institute microenterprise Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination (FIELD) since 1998. She co-authored, with Joyce Klein, Opening Opportunities, Building Ownership: Fulfilling the Promise of Microenterprise in the U.S. (2005), an examination of the state of the U.S. microenterprise industry after its first 20 years. She has also authored or co-authored numerous other publications for FIELD, including Scaling up Microenterprise Services, The Informal Economy: Latino Enterprises at the Margins and The Informal Economy: Making It In Rural America, and Improving Microenterprise Training and Technical Assistance. Ms. Edgcomb is also the author and editor of works on evaluation practice, institutional development, financial analysis, and on microenterprise strategies implemented both internationally and in the United States. Previously, she served as the founding Executive Director of the Small Enterprise Education and Promotion (SEEP) Network, an association of more than 50 U.S. and Canadian nonprofit organizations that support small business and microenterprise development in the developing world. Ms. Edgcomb serves or has served on the Board of Directors of the SEEP Network, Pro Mujer International and the Association for Enterprise Opportunity. She holds a Master's Degree in Latin American Studies from Georgetown University and a B.A. in History and Spanish from Seton Hall University.
Elizabeth Funk, Founder and CEO, Dignity Fund
Elizabeth Funk is actively involved in supporting rapid growth and commercialization in the Microfinance industry, which provides small loans to the world's poor allowing them to start businesses and build their own way out of poverty. She serves on the Board of Unitus, a leading Microfinance accelerator, where she served as Chairman for 2007-2008. She is also a co-founder and Board member of Unitus' for-profit sister company, Unitus
Investment Group, mobilizing invested dollars towards the alleviation of poverty. Ms. Funk is the founder and CEO of the Dignity Fund, a debt fund for Microfinance.
Prior to becoming Chair of Unitus, Ms. Funk served as the President and CEO of CML Global Capital, a diversified international investment firm. Prior to joining CML, Ms. Funk was one of the earliest employees of Yahoo!, where she helped formulate Yahoo!'s initial shopping, online Finance and commerce strategy, and helped grow that business to comprise a major source of Yahoo!'s revenues and customer usage. Ms. Funk spent four years at Microsoft Corporation where she served as a Product Manager for Microsoft Word and as one of the early members of the Microsoft Office team.
Ms. Funk is an active member of the Young President's Organization ("YPO") serving as the Chair of the Board of the Pacific Region, and as a founder of Social Enterprise Networks, an initiative within YPO that brings together members worldwide on projects that "make a difference" in the world. Her other board involvements include Deutsche Bank's Global Microfinance Consortium Fund, the Silicon Valley Microfinance Network, Glide Community Development Corporation (San Francisco), I-Spire (London) and Imperial Parking (Hong Kong).
Ms. Funk holds an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Economics with Honors from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she graduated in 1996 as a Baker Scholar. She is a frequent speaker about Microfinance, to audiences such as at the US Department of State, the Forbes CEO Conference, and the Clinton Global Initiative. She was recently named the "Female Entrepreneur of the Year" by TiE. She has been profiled in publications including Forbes, the San Jose Mercury News, and Business Week. Ms. Funk has two children and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Elizabeth Makee, Director of Operations, ACCION San Diego
Ms. Makee joined ACCION San Diego in November of 2004 and is responsible for all developmental and operational areas of the organization, in addition to public relations, human resources, marketing and fund development. She brings over eight years of project and organizational development, strategic marketing and public relations experience to the organization. She received her B.A. in Communications with a Minor in Spanish from the College of Charleston in Charleston, SC.
Emily Gasner, Program Director, TMC Development Working Solutions
Working Solutions is a nonprofit organization in San Francisco she co-founded in 1999 that provides microloans, technical assistance, and education to underserved microentrepreneurs in the Bay Area that want to start or grow a business but have limited or no access to traditional financing.
Ms. Gasner has assisted hundreds of local microenterprises and small businesses access the capital, resources and support they need to grow and succeed. She was honored with the 2008 Financial Services Champion of the Year Award during San Francisco Small Business Week from the San Francisco District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Prior to Working Solutions, Ms. Gasner worked at the Friends of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women where she coordinated development activities and awards events for local women leaders.
Ms. Gasner holds a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish and Women's Studies from Georgetown University and a Master's Degree in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco. She currently serves as the Secretary of the nonprofit organization Women Advancing Microfinance Northern California.
Emmett D. Carson, CEO and President, Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized leader in philanthropy. An influential author and an inspiring and thought-provoking speaker, he has published more than 75 works on philanthropy and social justice.
Emmett serves as the first CEO and president of the new Silicon Valley Community Foundation which resulted from the historic merger of Community Foundation Silicon Valley and Peninsula Community Foundation. With $1.9 billion in total assets, the community foundation is one of the largest in the nation and is dedicated to advancing civic engagement to address the most challenging problems in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.
Prior to his appointment, Emmett served for 12 years as president and CEO of The Minneapolis Foundation, where he pioneered community initiatives to address the region's most challenging social issues, and increased assets from $186 million to over $600 million. Previously, Emmett served as the first manager of the Ford Foundation's worldwide grantmaking program on philanthropy and the nonprofit sector. His seminal research at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies on Black giving helped to establish ethnic philanthropy studies.
Emmett serves on several nonprofit boards including the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, Northern California Grantmakers and Southern Education Foundation. He is a past chair of the Council on Foundations and has received numerous nonprofit leadership awards, including recognition by The Nonprofit Times as one of the 50 most influential nonprofit leaders in the United States, and honorary doctorates from Indiana University and Morehouse College.
Eric Weaver, CEO, Opportunity Fund
Eric Weaver, founder and CEO of Opportunity Fund, has combined his background as a community organizer with an education from Stanford Business School to develop an innovative not-for-profit financial institution that uses market principles to effect systemic change.
Under his leadership, Opportunity Fund has grown into one of the nation's largest and most effective microfinance institutions, with an emphasis on both savings and credit. Opportunity Fund operates one of the nation's largest Individual Development Account (IDA) program, and is the largest provider of micro-loans to low-income entrepreneurs in California.
In 2006, Eric was named one of the first seven recipients of the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award, awarded to individuals who are successfully tackling some of California's most challenging problems. In addition, the Skoll Foundation has twice selected Opportunity Fund for the Skoll Award for Innovation in Silicon Valley; and the Small Business Administration named Eric Weaver its Financial Services Advocate of the Year in 2006.
Evelyn Huang, Small Business Loans Director, Opportunity Fund
Evelyn Huang is the Small Business Loan Program Director at Opportunity Fund, one of the largest microlenders in California . As Program Director, Evelyn overseas the program's $3.4 million revolving loan fund and is responsible for all aspects of the microlending process, including marketing and outreach, strategic partnerships, underwriting, portfolio management and technical assistance.In her tenure, she has increased client service capacity by 280% and achieved 200% growth in loans closed for the program. Evelyn has deep knowledge of the challenges facing small business owners in California and has personally worked with hundreds of borrowers. She is well-versed in the growth potential and challenges of the domestic microfinance field and is a member of the Aspen Institute's Scale Academy for Microenterprise,. Prior to joining Opportunity Fund, Evelyn was an Associate with Summit Partners, a growth private equity and venture capital firm. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelors degree in Public Policy, with Honors. She has worked in technology startups, youth organizations in South Central LA, and is an active Board Member of the California Junior Miss Scholarship Program.
Since its founding in 1995, Opportunity Fund has originated $9.8 million in loans to small businesses and has invested more than $130 million into needy communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.Opportunity Fund's leadership team has received the Skoll Award for Innovation in Silicon Valley, the Wachovia Impact award, the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and the SBA Financial Services Advocate of the Year.In addition to the Small Business Loan Program, Opportunity Fund operates one of the largest matched-savings account programs in the country and is a leader in providing innovative financing to community real estate projects in the Bay Area.
Farhana Huq, Founder and CEO, C.E.O. Women
Farhana comes from a family of self-made entrepreneurs of the South Asian Diaspora. In 2000, she founded C.E.O. Women, the 3rd start-up venture she has been involved with, after being inspired by the enterprise revolution in her father's native Bangladesh and by the struggles that poor, single women in her own family faced to become self-sufficient. Farhana has always admired the creativity and freedom of micro-entrepreneurs. She envisions a world where the most powerful and unlikely relationships come together to connect women in meaningful ways.
Farhana created "Micro-enterprise in Action", a self-initiated audio documentary on the lives of women entrepreneurs from around the world. She was recognized as one of the "40 Under 40" up and coming business professionals to watch by the East Bay Business Times. She was named the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year National Finalist in the Supporter of Entrepreneurship Category. Most recently she was elected to the Ashoka Fellowship, the most prestigious fellowship for leading social entrepreneurs around the world.
Farhana serves on the Board of Directors for the Chhandam Institute of Kathak Arts in Boston and was a Community Fellow of the Full Circle Fund, a San Francisco-based organization dedicated to addressing public problems through engaged philanthropy and public policy advocacy. Farhana has been volunteering at non-profits since age 14 and served as a full-time Americorps/Volunteer In Service to America for the micro-enterprise field. Farhana holds a BA from Tufts University in Economics and Philosophy. When she is not working, she is dancing Kathak, a classical dance of North India. Farhana is also a natural wanderluster, and travels extensively around the world to surf and explore new cultures and communities.
Forescee Hogan-Rowles, President & Chief Executive Officer, Community Financial Resource Center (CFRC)
Forescee Hogan-Rowles currently serves as President & CEO of Community Financial Resource Center (CFRC) a California nonprofit corporation certified by The U.S. Department of the Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Appointed in February 1995, Ms. Hogan-Rowles is responsible for managing one of Los Angeles' largest financial service providers specifically targeted to business owners and residents of low-income communities in Los Angeles County. CFRC offers a variety of services and products including Small Business Loans, First-time Homeownership programs, Individual Development Accounts (IDA's), Financial Education and Technical Assistance Workshops, and BIZTECH - Business Innovation Technology Center.
Ms. Hogan-Rowles is the former Founder and Executive Director of Westview Economic Development Strategies. From 1990 to 1993, Ms. Hogan-Rowles served as Executive Director of Coalition For Women's Economic Development (CWED). She successfully managed the growth and achievements of the first Microenterprise organization in Southern California. Among her accomplishments while at CWED, Ms. Hogan-Rowles wrote the proposal that led to the organization becoming a first round grantee in the U.S. Small Business Administration-Microloan Demonstration Program and was invited to The White House to receive the award.
Prior to joining CWED, Ms Hogan-Rowles taught on the faculty of Brooks College and Woodbury University, both located in Southern California. For nearly six years, she owned and operated Forescee-M. & Co.D/B/A FLIPS, manufacturers of better junior sportswear for women. Under her leadership, Flips clothing was distributed and sold in 26 states and four countries. Her designs appeared in WWD-Women's Wear Daily and CAN-California Apparel News trade publications.
Gina Harman, President and CEO, Accion New York/New Jersey and ACCION USA
Gina Harman assumed the position of President and CEO of ACCION USA on July 1, 2008. She has functioned in the same capacity at ACCION New York and New Jersey since February 2008. Her appointment as President and CEO was preceded by her seven-year tenure on the Board of Directors of ACCION New York and New Jersey .
Prior to her role at ACCION, Ms. Harman served as President of the over $600 million consumer division of publicly-traded Harman International. As president, she was responsible for the strategy, engineering, product development, marketing, manufacturing, sales and distribution for multiple brands worldwide. Her career with the company spanned 22 years.
Previously, Ms. Harman served in a variety of nonprofit positions in both New York and Chicago focused on child care, labor relations and community development. She was the executive director of the Greater Astoria Development Corporation from 1983 to 1985, a Program Manager with the NYC Youth Bureau and founder and director of the Washington Square Methodist Day Care Cooperative.
Giovanna Masci, Microfinance Partnerships Manager for the Americas, Kiva
As the Microfinance Partnerships Manager for the Americas, Giovanna is responsible for growing Kivas partnerships in the region. Prior to Kiva, Giovanna worked as a consultant in the technical assistance department at ACCION New York. In that role she was responsible for growing the department while providing one-on-one technical assistance services to entrepreneurs. Giovanna has been passionate about economic development, microfinance, and Latin America for many years. She has worked on community development projects in Mexico and Paraguay, and has done research on the interplay between eco-tourism and economic development in Costa Rica. Giovanna holds a B.A . In Economics from Yale University and an M.B.A from the Yale School of Management.
Gustavo Lasala, Chief Financial Officer, ACCION Texas
Gustavo Lasala is the Chief Financial Officer of ACCION Texas. His responsibilities include leading the Finance, Accounting, Underwriting, Collections, and Information Technology Departments. He is also responsible for Microloan Management Services (MMSTM), the first service-center tailored to micro-lending in the United States. MMS uses ACCION Texas' proven model to scale up other domestic micro-lending organizations.
Mr. Lasala joined ACCION Texas in the summer of 2003 as a Citibank-sponsored intern. During that summer, he examined ACCION Texas' financial management, risk management, and product development, and conceived and developed the first scoring model used in microfinance in the US. He joined the finance department of ACCION Texas in June 2004, becoming CFO in October of that year. Lasala also conceived and led the development of MMS and the scoring engine at the core of this service. In 2008, he played an important role in the historic asset purchase agreement between ACCION Texas and Citibank, specifically in the design of the financial aspects and implementation of the deal.
Prior to ACCION Texas, Lasala worked for national and international organizations in Latin America, including the Inter-American Development Bank, Hydro Agri (then a Fortune 300 Global), the Republic's University and the Ministry of Agriculture. Originally from Uruguay, Lasala graduated with Agricultural Engineer degree from the Republic's University in 1994, specializing in investment projects and farm administration. He holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. He lives in San Antonio with his wife Caroline and their children, Maria Eugenia and Andres (6 & 4 years old).
Gwendy Donaker Brown, IDA Program Director, Opportunity Fund
Gwendy Donaker Brown is IDA Program Director at Opportunity Fund in San Jose, CA. She holds a BA in Economics & Public Policy from Pomona College and an MPA in Nonprofit Management from New York University. Previously, Gwendy bridged the digital divide at One Economy Corporation, fought global warming at the California Climate Action Registry and studied sustainable development as a Fulbright Scholar in Caracas, Venezuela. Gwendy is originally from Berkeley, CA.
Hilary Abell, Executive Director, hilary@wagescooperatives.org
Hilary Abell has been Executive Director of WAGES (Women's Action to Gain Economic Security) since 2003. Her previous work covered a range of issues including fair trade, environmental health, women's health, and immigrant rights. Her visits with fair trade farmers in Latin America inspired her commitment to cooperative models, environmental sustainability, and collective endeavors that give us space to dream. Hilary completed LeaderSpring's two-year Executive Director fellowship in 2006 and holds a degree in religion and politics from Princeton University. She serves on the Board of Directors for Opportunity Fund, a non-profit organization based in San Jose.
James Gutierrez, CEO, Progreso Financiero
James is a serial entrepreneur who is committed to helping 50-60 million under-banked people in the America build credit scores, enter the financial mainstream and achieve the American dream. In 2005, he co-founded Progreso Financiero, an innovative and socially responsible financial services company that offers $250-$2500 unsecured loans to Hispanic families that lack established credit scores and banking relationships.
Using a proprietary scoring model built on 20,000 initial loans, Progreso lends money at fair rates and low losses, helping its customers build credit histories and move up the financial services ladder. Progreso is growing quickly with a national partnership with Sears and Kmart, thousands of customers, 100+ employees and over $26mm in venture capital backing from Greylock Partners, Charles River Ventures and Madrone Capital.
Prior to Progreso Financiero, James worked as a distressed debt analyst at Morgan Stanley, a consultant at Bain & Company, and a venture capital investor in Europe. He also founded and served as CEO of Magic Beanstalk, a venture backed 3rd party recruiting company in 1999-2002 that helped match college grads with employers in 50 leading US universities.
In his spare time, James enjoys helping other entrepreneurs and has made early stage investments as a partner in Great Oaks Ventures in over 15 start-ups, including StubHub (acquired by eBay), Jumpcut (acquired by Yahoo!), Trulia, Zimbio, OKCupid, and Icon Aircraft. He is a Robert Toigo Fellow and alumnus of the SEO-Sponsors for Education Opportunity program in New York.
James was invited to the White House in March 2009 as a leading young entrepreneur to share ideas on domestic and economic policy, and selected 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year by Hispanic-Net, the leading professional organization for Hispanic executives in Silicon Valley.
James received his MBA from Stanford and a B.A. in Economics from Yale University.
Janie Barrera, President & CEO, ACCION Texas
Janie Barrera is founding president and chief executive officer of ACCION Texas. Created in 1994, ACCION Texas has become the largest nonprofit micro-lending organization in the United States. The agency provides small loans and management training to micro-enterprises throughout Texas. With an active portfolio of more than $20 million, ACCION Texas has lent nearly $75 million to more than 9,300 people during the last 15 years..
As president and CEO, Ms. Barrera is responsible for the organization's financial management, oversight of its annual budget and the development of methodology and loan delivery procedures. She has received recognition for her accomplishments, including the Small Business Administration Financial Services Advocate of the Year and the Minority Enterprise Development Consortium's Corporate Advocate of the Year. San Antonio Business Journal listed Ms. Barrera as one of "Twenty Defining Players: People Who Have Helped Shape the City." She also has served on many national, state and local boards, including the Federal Reserve Board's National Consumer Advisory Council. In December 2008, American Banker presented her with the Innovator Award in New York City.
Ms. Barrera began her career as director of telecommunications for the Diocese of Corpus Christi in 1977. There, she helped found the area's first nonprofit radio stations, KLUX and KHOY, as well as two television production studios. After completing her MBA from Incarnate Word College, the Corpus Christi native remained in San Antonio where, in 1989, she became marketing director for the U.S. Air Force Morale, Welfare and Recreation Division headquartered at Randolph Air Force Base.
Jeff Jones, Program Director, MicroMentor
As Program Director and a member of Mercy Corps' Social Innovations team, Jeff leads MicroMentor's efforts to scale the delivery of business expertise to emerging entrepreneurs and to develop partnerships with microenterprise and microfinance institutions, corporations, and foundations. Prior to joining Mercy Corps, Jeff drove the development of the MicroMentor product at the Aspen Institute's FIELD program, and also spearheaded public education and practitioner training initiatives for the California Association for Enterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), one of the nation's premier state associations for microenterprise development. Jeff is a former co-chair of the Mentoring Committee of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, where he helped those new to the nonprofit sector connect with mentors and like-minded peers. Jeff is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder where he fashioned a custom degree in Sociology, Philosophy, Geography, and Business.
Jenny McNulty, Executive Director, Urban Solutions
Jenny oversees all Urban Solutions' programs and initiatives. She joined Urban Solutions in early 2002 to provide loan packaging and technical assistance to small business owners and to work on the creation and implementation of the Six on Sixth economic revitalization program. After serving as a Small Business Development Specialist and then Deputy Director, she moved into the role of Executive Director in 2005.
Jenny has extensive financial experience in both the non-profit and private sectors. She worked for four years in micro-credit programs, including two years in West Africa, where she was part of the management team for a micro-credit program providing credit and health education to 12,000 women. She also spent a year in a nature reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon teaching environmental education and promoting community health initiatives.
Jenny's family has been in San Francisco for five generations. Prior to working at Urban Solutions, Jenny worked as a financial manager at Providian Financial in San Francisco, doing financial planning and profitability analysis. Jenny holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Bristol, with a focus on Finance, and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. She is fluent in French, Spanish and Bambara.
Jonathan C. Lewis, Founder, MicroCredit Enterprises
Jonathan C. Lewis has had three varied careers: social entrepreneur, business leader and government policy executive. Since 2002, he has devoted himself to global poverty issues and, in particular, microfinance.
MicroCredit Enterprises, which Jonathan founded in 2005, is an innovative, not-for-profit social venture which leverages private capital to make tiny business loans to deeply impoverished people, mostly women, in developing countries. Under his leadership, within 3 years MicroCredit Enterprises has grown to $40 million in guarantees and $20 million in overseas lending capacity. MicroCredit Enterprises has an enviable operating budget under 3% of loan portfolio and has achieved operational self-sustainability without a dime of traditional donations or grants. A rarity in the non-profit world, MicroCredit Enterprises is entirely open source and is primarily operated by 40 pro bono business executives and professionals.
Jonathan is also the founder and chief executive officer of the Opportunity Collaboration which is non-aligned forum using the power of connection and community to advance economic justice and alleviate poverty. Annually, this by-invitation-only congress convenes 200 entrepreneurial leaders and thinkers on World Poverty Day to leverage resources, combine forces, share innovations and operate more effectively.
Jose Quinonez, Founding Director, Mission Asset Fund
Jose is a graduate of the University of California at Davis and Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. Jose's background includes working as a legislative assistant for Congressman Ruben Hinojosa. He later went on to work as a lobbyist for various nonprofit organizations in Washington, D.C., advocating on a variety of issues including immigration, hunger, and welfare reform. After moving to California, Jose worked for the Center for Responsible Lending, advocating against predatory mortgage and payday lending practices that strip assets from hard-working families, and the Asset Policy Initiative in California where he worked to develop a state-wide coalition to move an asset-building policy agenda in Sacramento.
Julie Castro Abrams, Chief Executive Officer, Women's Initiative
Julie Castro Abrams is a national leader in microfinance and women's issues. She has been CEO of Women's Initiative since 2002, following a non-profit career that spanned 20 years in Chicago. She led the transition of Women's Initiative from a founder-led organization to a rapidly growing non-profit that has expanded throughout the Bay Area and increased the number of women trained and receiving microloans tenfold. Under her leadership, significant new services have been developed that contribute to the success of entrepreneurs and the economic growth in the communities served by the organization, and the Women's Initiative has been recognized by the Urban Institute Best Practices Foundation, the Equal Rights Advocates and Cisco Innovation in Technology, among others. Julie currently serves on the Board of the California Association for Microenterprise Opportunity (CAMEO), and is a highly sought after speaker and expert on microenterprise in the U.S. Julie is the recipient of the Human Rights Award from the Commission on the Status of Women, the Women of Color Action Network Award 2008. Prior to her work at Women's Initiative, Julie served as Deputy Director and Director of Development and Marketing at Chicago's Merit School of Music. Her accomplishments at Merit include increasing annual giving from $300,000 to $2,000,000 and leading a $2.7 million endowment campaign that exceeded its goal, raising $3.5 million. Julie's previous positions include Director of Development at Community Christian Alternative Academy and principal at the Catalyst Group consulting firm. She has also held positions with the Illinois Pro-Choice Alliance, the Chicago Department of Health, and the Chicago Foundation for Women. Julie studied for her masters degree in Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago and she has a BA in Human Development and Social Policy from the school of Education at Northwestern University. She currently lives in Novato with her husband and two children.
Lauren Leimbach, Executive Director, Community Financial Resources
Lauren Leimbach spent over 20 years in the financial services industry working for Bank of America, the Federal Reserve, and Providian Financial. She has a wide-ranging background in new financial product/service development, automation and payment systems, marketing strategy, operational implementation, production management, and organizational planning. She also provides consulting support on management tools, program implementation and organizational development strategies to non-profit organizations. Lauren has a BA in Economics and an MBA in Finance from the University of Michigan.
Leigh Phillips, Program Manager, Bank on San Francisco
Leigh Phillips is the Program Manager for "Bank on San Francisco", the first city-wide initiative designed to bring "un-banked" residents into the financial mainstream. She has worked for Treasurer José Cisneros in the San Francisco Office of the Treasurer since December 2004. She previously managed the successful two-year pilot of the City's "Working Families Credit" program, a local match to the federal EITC.
Prior to working for the City and County of San Francisco, Ms. Phillips worked in development and fundraising at the University of California, San Francisco. She received both her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Social Sciences and a Masters of Economic and Social Sciences in Women's Studies from the University of Manchester, UK.
Maria Sison, Asset Services Manager, Juma Ventures
Maria brings over 14 years of nonprofit experience focusing in the areas of low-income family/youth/immigrant asset development, youth services, and human rights in the United States and the Philippines. Maria received her Bachelors degree in Sociology at UC Berkeley and a Masters in International Relations at the University of the Philippines.
Maria worked at East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), an Oakland-based community development organization and one of the 12 program sites chosen to be part of the American Dream Demonstration, one of the first IDA programs. Maria managed and provided technical assistance and capacity building support to more than 15 non-profit partnerships that served over 1000 participant accounts, including refugee and immigrant populations, public housing residents, workforce development and CALworks recipients and youth populations. Currently, Maria manages youth IDA and asset programming at Juma Ventures, a national social enterprise agency. Juma runs one of the oldest and largest youth IDA programs to date and has served over 600 participants in the SF Bay Area. Juma has newly launched GROW (Gain Resources Opportunity and Wealth), a California-wide initiative to help expand IDA programming in partnerships with youth serving agencies.
Matt Lonner, Manager of Global Partnerships, Chevron
Matt Lonner is Chevron's Manager of Global Partnerships and Programs where he is responsible for developing and overseeing the company's global contributions budget and strategy. He is also President of Chevron's various foundations including the Chevron Global Fund, the Chevron Community Foundation and the Chevron Humanitarian Relief Fund.
Mr. Lonner is responsible for directing major charitable programs both domestically and internationally and providing counsel to community engagement professionals throughout the world. Mr. Lonner has been a featured speaker and panelist for national conferences on the subject of corporate philanthropy.
In 2008, Chevron invested nearly $160 million in community engagement activities, mostly focused on promoting local economic development. Since he assumed his current position, Mr. Lonner has spearheaded a major partnership with the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and developed a new domestic program, called Chevron Humankind, to support employee community involvement efforts. In addition, he has led Chevron through a number of disaster relief efforts in Myanmar, China, the Gulf Coast and elsewhere.
Mr. Lonner was previously Chevron's Manager of Public and Government Affairs where he was responsible for community engagement and legislative advocacy. Prior to joining Chevron Mr. Lonner held a similar position with Pacific Gas and Electric Company. Mr. Lonner has a diverse professional background that includes stints as a practicing attorney, a public affairs/political consultant and a legislative aide. Mr. Lonner is a graduate of San Francisco State University and earned a law degree from the University Of San Francisco School Of Law.
Patrick J. Soricone, Director of Evaluation & Impact Programs, United Way Silicon Valley
Patrick brings over twenty-five years experience in building community and economic development partnerships primarily in the non-profit and public sectors. Patrick has expertise in strategic planning, policy analysis and advocacy, public affairs, communications, constituency management and non-profit administration.
As Director of Evaluation & Impact Programs at United Way Silicon Valley, he is proud to have supported: launch of Women Leading Change (an IDA program serving single mothers), development of a county-wide coaltion to support free tax preparation at local VITA sites, implementation of the Governor's 'banking the unbanked' initiaive called Bank on California/San Jose, expansion of the Greater San Jose Alternative Education Collaborative, and implementation of a new on-line data management system for outcome-based grant application and reporting
Previously, Patrick served as Executive Director of the DeFrank LGBT Community Center in San Jose, managing a program transformation and building renovation. Prior to that, he served as Administrative Director for the Ardeo Theatre Project in St Julien l'Ars, France, a start-up resident theater and chateau renovation project.
Patrick had a long term association with United Ways in Washington State, working in Everett, Seattle and Tacoma for more than ten years. Other work includes service as Special Assistant for Public Affairs & Policy at Sound Transit, and in executive leadership positions at various non-profit organizations, including: Big Brothers of King County, Crisis Clinic of Seattle-King County, and Pioneer Square Community Development Organization. In 1997, he worked as a project consultant for Save The Children Federation in rural Nepal.
Patrick has served as a board member for Somos Mayfair (in east San Jose), the Pride Foundation (supporting LGBT programs throughout the Northwest Region) and the Whitehorse Foundation (investing in prevention programs helping families in Washignton State).
A native of Rochester, NY, he earned a BA Degree in Political Science from Hobart College(1974), and a Masters Degree in Administration & Planning from the School of Social Work at University of Washington (1985).
Premal Shah, President, Kiva.org
Premal Shah is President of Kiva.org - a website that lets you make $25 micro-loans to low-income entrepreneurs around the world. Kiva raises $1 million every 10 days for the working poor and was named as a Top 50 website by TIME magazine in 2008. Prior to Kiva, Premal spent 6 years at PayPal, an eBay company where he began to develop his thinking on how the internet could expand microfinance. Premal started his career as a management consultant at Oliver Wyman in New York. He was an invited speaker at the Clinton Global Initiative and was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos. His most surreal experience was carrying the Olympic Torch for the 2008 Summer Games. Premal graduated with a degree in Economics from Stanford University.
Robert Boyle, Founder and CEO, Justine Petersen
Robert Boyle is a founder and the Chief Executive Officer of Justine Petersen, a St. Louis, Missouri based company that assists low-wealth individuals and families to develop, maintain and increase financial assets. Justine Petersen's product line includes Credit Building, Homeownership Services through licensed mortgage broker and licensed real estate broker operations, Microfinance and Business Lending and Individual Development Accounts (matched savings accounts designed to promote asset building for low-wealth individuals and families). Rob is a founder and a director of Great Rivers Community Capital, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), a lending organization wholly owned by Justine Petersen. Rob earned his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and his Masters Degree from Southern Illinois University. His background includes work in urban planning, property management for low-income tenants, single family and multi-family housing development and construction management. Rob also has owned and operated two small businesses, a real estate services company and a contracting company. He is a director of a national asset building organization, Credit Builders Alliance. Rob is married to Barbara (Diekemper), and has two children, Margaret and Patrick.
Robert Lopez, Director of Lending, ACCION San Diego
Robert Lopez joined ACCION San Diego in March of 2008 and is responsible for lending staff supervision, underwriting, loan portfolio quality, developing and maintaining bank relationships, and community outreach. He received a B.A. in Urban Studies, with an emphasis in Public Administration from San Diego State University. He has over seven years experience in small business banking and finance and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Roberto E. Barragan, President, Valley Economic Development Center
As the President of VEDC, Mr, Barragan manages the largest small business development non-profit organization in Los Angeles. With an annual budget of $5 million and 42 employees in 7 offices, VEDC serves over 11,000 businesses yearly with financing, training and direct business assistance.
Previously, as Vice President of Business Lending, Mr. Barragan managed a $6 million Revolving Loan Fund established by the United States Economic Development Administration and $2 million in Lending Programs consisting of commercial, small business and microloans from $1,000 to $700,000. The Lending Division consists of 5 individual loan programs: RLF, SBA Microloan, State Guarantee Loan Program, LACDB ($20 million) loan servicing, Pacoima Microloan. The current portfolio generates over $500,000 yearly in program income.
He has over 20 years experience managing non-profit organizations, including the last sixteen involved in community economic development, technical assistance to for-profit and non-profit entities and financial resource development. Mr. Barragan is a nationally recognized expert on loan funds and microlending. Previous experience includes work in minority and non-minority owned businesses, startup company market strategy development, feasibility studies, financial evaluation, fund raising as well as development of non-profit coalitions.
Mr. Barragan was previously Executive Director for the Community Financial Resource Center of South Central Los Angeles, a joint venture of 32 member banks and the Community Development Department of the City of Los Angeles
Between 1989 and 1993, Mr. Barragan was Executive Director for the Mission Economic Development Association in San Francisco, California. As Director he was responsible for the completion of the 24th Street Revitalization Project, including the creation of art/public space improvement projects, the Mission Theater District Revitalization Project, the overall Economic Development Plan for the Mission District, the acquisition and rehabilitation of a 350 car parking garage. Between 1987 and 1989, he was the Executive Director of Adelante Inc., a community development organization located in Berkeley, California.
Robert Lattimore, Director of Operations, AnewAmerica
Robert Lattimore joined AnewAmerica Community Corporation last June as the Director of Operations. Robert has over 20 years of experience as a senior level manager in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Prior to coming America, Robert worked at BMSI, a facility management firm that he helped to found in 2003. He also served as Director of Business Development for the Santa Clara-based Bay Area Regional Technical Alliance and as the Executive Director of the Contra Costa Software Business Incubator. He has experience in nonprofit start-up ventures, managing a business incubator program in the technology field, creating a financial structure to acquire facilities, and developing comprehensive internship programs by partnering with several universities. Other positions that Robert has held include Vice President of Omni Ventures, VP of Sales/Marketing & Operations for Dahlgren Control Systems, Director of Marketing and Operations for Xidex Corporation, and Marketing and Regional Manager for IBM. Robert holds a BS in Marketing from Arizona State University.
Russell Yarrow, General Manager, California Corporate Relations, Chevron
Russell M. Yarrow is General Manager, California Corporate Relations, for Chevron Corporation, one of the world's leading integrated energy companies. He is responsible for Chevron's major public affairs activities in the company's home state of California. Prior to assuming his current position, Russ was manager of External Affairs for the company, which includes media relations, executive visibility, issues management, and corporate sponsorships. Before joining Chevron in 2004, Russ was Senior Vice President for Global Corporate Relations, at Visa International for five years. During his career, he also managed the Corporate Practice in Ketchum's San Francisco office and held a variety of senior public affairs positions at Bank of America from 1988 to 1997. Russ is an award-winning former journalist who worked in a variety of editorial positions at several San Francisco Bay Area newspapers between 1976 and 1988. He majored in journalism at San Diego State University and is a graduate of the American Press Institute's City Editor Seminar and of the San Francisco Academy, a multidisciplinary graduate-level program for public relations executives. He is married to Dr. Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist and the Russell T. Sharpe Business Professor at Golden Gate University.
Sarah E. Gordon, Nonprofit Relationship Manager, Financial Services Innovation
Sarah E. Gordon is the Nonprofit Relationship Manager at the Center for Financial Services Innovation. In this position, Ms. Gordon establishes relationships with the nonprofit community, particularly organizations working with low and moderate income families on financial development and asset-building strategies. Through relationships with financial services innovators, policy-makers, consumer advocates and others, Ms. Gordon creates a business and a regulatory environment, which supports development of new products and services for the underbanked. Ms. Gordon brings nonprofit organizations into CFSI's existing networking program and establishes new ways to reach, learn from, educate, and innovate with this community. She also manages CFSI's new grant pool for nonprofit innovations and brokers relationships between the for-profit financial services sector and nonprofits.
Prior to joining CFSI, Ms. Gordon was the Associate Director at Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC). As part of the agency's management team, Ms. Gordon directed development activities and cultivated existing and potential donors. She wrote grant proposals and secured funding from government, corporate, foundation, and individual sources. Ms. Gordon also served as the Director for the Economic & Human Development Program and the Center for Working Families. In this role, she managed the design, implementation, and evaluation of programs that help low income individuals improve their educational and employment outcomes and achieve financial stability. She identified bank and credit union partners to support the programs and to provide affordable financial products for participants.
Sarah E. Gordon graduated Cum Laude from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Sociology and Urban Studies and a minor in African-American Studies. She also completed two years of graduate study in Sociology at Northwestern University.
Sean Foote, Managing Director, Labrador Ventures
Mr. Foote has been a venture capitalist investing in early stage companies for the past 10 years. He is active on the board of directors of Eoplex Technologies, Everyone.net, Integrated Materials Inc., Altierre Corporation and Solaicx. He also serves on the Development Council of Entrepreneurs Foundation, a nonprofit organization that engages high growth companies in corporate citizenship and philanthropic efforts; Silicon Valley Microfinance Network (SVMN); and Freedom from Hunger, a nonprofit, international development organization that fights against hunger and poverty; and he is founder of Community Promise, an education-focused nonprofit.
Before venture investing, Mr. Foote was a management consultant with Boston Consulting Group, working in a wide range of industries such as telecom, computers, healthcare, banking, and automotive on topics ranging from strategic alliances to Internet strategies. Mr. Foote also worked as a systems engineer for AT&T Bell Laboratories, developing artificial intelligence systems for testing the most complicated telecommunications networks.
Mr. Foote is a lecturer at the University of California's Haas School of Business, where he teaches the top ranked venture capital and private equity classes as well as Microfinance. He has also taught classes on entrepreneurship at the University of Michigan's Business School, University of Virginia's Darden School of Business and University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business.
Mr. Foote received his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri Rolla (1988), and his MBA from the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business (1993), where he received the Shermett Award granted to the top 3% of students.
Shari Berenbach, President and CEO, Calvert Foundation
Shari Berenbach joined Calvert Foundation as Executive Director in 1997. With over 20 years of experience ranging from microcredit to international business, Shari brings leadership and knowledge to the field of social investment. At Calvert Foundation, Shari has developed innovative financial instruments and partnerships critical to creating a level of transparency and discipline that engender consistent performance, investor confidence and broad market participation in the community investment marketplace.
Prior to joining Calvert Foundation, Shari led finance projects for the International Finance Corporation. These projects, based mainly in Central America and the Caribbean, channeled more than $250 million to banking, power, telecommunications, tourism and agribusiness.
Shari began her professional career as an Officer of the National Cooperative Bank, where she was responsible for technical services to US production cooperatives. She later served as Program Director for the non-governmental organization, Partnership for Productivity International. Shari has also held private-sector positions at Citibank, Salomon Brothers and a start-up international telecommunications company, Radio Movil Digital.
Shari has published numerous articles, including a 1997 study on banking regulation for micro-finance institutions worldwide and a 1991 paper on solidarity group lending methods. Shari serves on the boards of Community Wealth Ventures, MMA Community Development Investments, the Regional Association of Washington Grantmakers and FSG Social Impact Advisors. She has previously served on the boards of the Social Investment Forum (the trade association for socially responsible investment professionals), the Association of Enterprise Opportunity (a US microcredit trade group) and the Neighborhood Funders' Group (a foundation affinity group).
Shari has an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School and an MA in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. She received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Shari lives in Bethesda, MD with her husband Jim and daughter Moriah.
Sharon Miller, CEO, Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
Sharon Miller is the Chief Executive Officer of Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center, a position she has held for nine years. Renaissance is non-profit small business development center working to transform the lives of very low- moderate income women and men through entrepreneurship. Renaissance provides comprehensive small business training and support services that meet the needs of entrepreneurs at every stage of business development. During her tenure as CEO, Renaissance opened its Bayview Business Resource Center (Ren/BBRC) to support emerging and established entrepreneurs in San Francisco's Bayview/Hunters Point community, and merged with Start Up, an East Palo Alto-based microenterprise organization providing services in English and Spanish for mid-Peninsula based entrepreneurs. Renaissance's work has been widely recognized. Most recently Renaissance received the 2008 Bank of America Neighborhood Excellence Award and the HewlettPrior Packard Co. Leadership Award. Prior to Renaissance, Sharon served as Executive Vice President of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), a non-profit international development organization, where she developed microloan and other economic development programs in the developing world. Sharon is the Board Chair of CAMEO (California Association of Micro-enterprise Organizations), and a board member of the National Association of Women's Business Centers (AWBC). Sharon is an alumna of the Leadership San Francisco class of 2001, a Leaderspring Fellow 2005 - 2007, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.S. degree in Conservation and Resource Study from the University of California, at Berkeley.
Shelley Hendrickson, Senior Vice President & Division Manager, Wells Fargo & Company San Francisco Business Banking Group
Shelley Hendrickson is the Senior Vice President & Division Manager of Wells Fargo's Business Banking in the San Francisco Bay Region. A 9-year veteran of the company, she is responsible for overseeing 109 bankers which include the Commercial Loan Officers, Business Deposit Consultants, and Business Relationship Managers.
Before being promoted to her current position in April 2007, Hendrickson successfully managed the Southern California Division of the California Business Banking Group in San Diego. Prior to joining Wells Fargo in 2000, Hendrickson held various positions including 2 years at Home Savings of America and 11 years at First Interstate Bank of California. Hendrickson brings with her 30 years of experience in the financial services industry.
Hendrickson earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration at Colorado State University, is the recipient of the "Deans Award", and graduated from the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking at the Southern Methodist University.
Tracey Pettengill Turner, Founder, MicroPlace
Tracey is a well known social entrepreneur committed to finding market-based solutions to global poverty. She is a seasoned business executive who has been involved in international development, social investing and philanthropy for more than 15 years. Prior to founding MicroPlace, Tracey was CFO of KickStart, an organization that designs and sells products focused on poverty alleviation. In 1998, she started her first company, 4charity, a web-based marketplace for charitable giving, and served as its CEO. Earlier in her career, Tracey held a variety of positions with socially responsible firms including the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, Calvert Ventures and the World Bank.
Tracey's numerous leadership awards include 2000 Top 25 Women of the Web Award, San Francisco Business Times Leadership Award and a Working Woman Magazine Entrepreneurship Award. Tracey holds a degree in engineering and economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford Business School. Outside MicroPlace, Tracey plays left wing on her soccer team, trains for Ironman triathlons and snowshoes in Lake Tahoe with her husband.
Vikki Frank, Executive Director, Credit Builders Alliance
Vikki Frank is honored and proud to lead Credit Builders Alliance - an innovative social enterprise nonprofit creating new solutions for financially underserved families in the U.S. to build credit and assets. Vikki is an economic development specialist with 15 years experience creating solutions for international, national and community-based organizations throughout the Americas and Africa. Vikki comes to CBA from the Department of Treasury's CDFI Fund where she helped under write federal funding for Community Development Financial Institutions and strengthen Native CDFIs through training and technical assistance. Prior, Vikki worked to build the capacity of nonprofits and to advance financial education, IDAs, and asset building in underserved communities through site visits, group training and presentations. She has worked with over 200 community-based organizations. She is recognized nationally for her expertise in adapting mainstream asset-building strategies to diverse population. Vikki has been an active member of the Assets Alliance and also co-investigator with the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis at the University of Southern California to expand university participation in asset building and IDAs. Vikki Frank holds an undergraduate degree from McGill University and a policy degree from Columbia University.
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