Key leadership will advance strategic
direction by welcoming three new executives and a
sustainability-focused Board member.
WASHINGTON, June 20,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Opportunity Finance
Network (OFN), the nation's leading investment intermediary and
network of community development financial institutions (CDFIs),
announced strategic additions to its executive leadership and Board
of Directors at a pivotal moment to scale OFN, its network, and the
community development finance industry.
"To fully meet the moment before us, OFN is deeply committed to
investing in the infrastructure of the industry to fully embrace
new opportunities, models, and pathways," said OFN President &
CEO Harold Pettigrew. "Human capital
is central to that infrastructure, and I am excited to welcome
these talented executives to our organization."
"The OFN Board is excited to put in place the human capital
infrastructure for scale," said Donna
Gambrell, Chair of the OFN Board of Directors. "Ariel Meyerstein's deep expertise in ESG and
sustainable finance will be a valuable asset to this organization,
and it is my pleasure to welcome him to the Board."
Jessel Amin joins OFN
as Executive Vice President, Chief Investment Officer to support
the growth of the organization's capital under management, develop
new market opportunities, and oversee the current portfolio of over
$1 billion. Additionally, she will
lead the deployment of capital under OFN's environment and climate
program, including the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator
program. Previously, she served as Executive Director, Community
Development Banking at JPMorgan Chase. She has extensive experience
delivering comprehensive credit solutions that drive innovation and
impact in historically disinvested communities.
Anthony (Tony) Berkley,
Ph.D., will join OFN as Executive Vice President, Chief
Development Officer to lead its fundraising and capitalization
strategies to scale and address the needs of our members and
communities. With expertise spanning philanthropy and impact
investing, Berkley served most recently as Director of ACT and Head
of Investments with Future Investment Initiative Institute. He is a
pioneering institutional investor, and his expertise in community
finance and sustainability includes launching an impact investing
platform at W.K. Kellogg Foundation and growing Prudential
Financial Inc.'s impact portfolio to over $1
billion.
Kevin Fryatt joins
OFN as Executive Vice President, Chief Operations Officer to steer
the organization through a period of growth and change by
implementing and optimizing systems, platforms, and processes to
facilitate and sustain that growth. Fryatt previously served as
Chief Financial and Operations Officer at the Washington Area
Community Investment Fund (Wacif). His deep expertise includes
global and domestic leadership in financial and operating roles, as
well as technology and risk management. He has chaired multiple
Finance and Audit Committees and serves on the Board of Directors
of Credit Builders Alliance (CBA) and CBA Fund.
Ariel Meyerstein, the Head
of the ESG Program Office at U.S. Bank, joins the OFN Board of
Directors. He brings more than 20 years of experience in
international law, global policy, ESG, and sustainable finance to
the Board. He will lend his expertise in climate change, human
rights, and community finance policy and programs. At U.S. Bank,
Meyerstein leads a team focused on developing the firm's overall
ESG strategy and is co-chair of the firm's Corporate Responsibility
and Reputation Committee. Meyerstein was previously Director of
Community Investing and Development for Citi, where he led the
implementation of its Action for Racial Equity.
These appointments build on other strategic human capital
investments, including leadership promotions and new hires, over
the last several months:
- Bhumip Patel has been named Interim Chief Financial Officer
(CFO) while OFN completes a national search to identify a permanent
CFO.
- With Kevin Fryatt joining as
COO, Amber Kuchar-Bell will
transition from Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy and
Operations Officer to Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy
Officer, leading programmatic strategy development with a focus on
climate and small business.
- Seth Julyan has been promoted to
Executive Vice President, Chief Network Officer, officially leading
OFN's growing membership, convenings, and network services.
- Brendon Miller joined the
organization as Executive Vice President, Chief of Staff, and Head
of Communications to drive strategic priorities, strengthen OFN's
brand and engagement, and serve as a trusted advisor across the
leadership team.
- Dafina Williams has been
promoted to Executive Vice President, Chief Public Policy Officer,
and Head of Government Affairs, leading OFN's legislative and
regulatory policy initiatives.
The year ahead includes strategic organizational and industry
priorities that require infrastructure to deliver and scale impact.
Chief among these is the successful launch of the Clean Communities
Investment Accelerator program, part of the EPA's $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.
Designing and executing a comprehensive, strategic human capital
framework helps deliver this core priority, in addition to other
critical organizational activities, including OFN's 40th
annual conference and continued investment into and deployment
of the Finance Justice Fund.
About Opportunity Finance Network
Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) is the leading national
network of mission-driven community lenders, including certified
community development financial institutions (CDFIs). OFN's more
than 400 members provide affordable, responsible financial products
and services in low-income rural, urban, and Native communities
nationwide. With $1 billion in assets
under management and a 0.3% loan loss rate, OFN is a trusted
intermediary between CDFIs and the public and private sectors,
partnering with banks, philanthropies, corporations, government
agencies, and others to strengthen and invest in CDFIs and create
economic opportunity for all.
Since its founding in 1986, the network has originated
$111 billion in financing, helping to
create or maintain more than 3 million jobs, start or expand more
than 850,000 businesses and microenterprises, and support the
development or rehabilitation of nearly 2.4 million housing units
and more than 14,000 community facility projects.
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SOURCE Opportunity Finance Network