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The CDBA office would like to introduce you to the newest member of our team. As CDBA's Membership Director, Anna will lead the development and execution of education and peer networking opportunities for member banks. Anna joins CDBA from Partners for the Common Good, a national CDFI loan fund based in Washington, D.C. With a background in CDFI Fund programs, social impact analysis, and investor relations, Anna is excited to work with CDFI banks to build capacity and continue to serve low- and moderate-income communities. Anna is originally from Flowery Branch, Georgia and holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Princeton University. Please join us in welcoming Anna.
Today, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government conducted a hearing on the impact of Community Development Financial Institutions. The video of the entire hearing is now available for online viewing and review.
Bob Jones, President and CEO of United Bank and Chairman of CDBA's Board of Directors, testified before the Subcommittee on the value of CDFI-certified banks and the community impact and effectiveness of the CDFI Fund's Bank Enterprise Awards. "The BEA Awards allowed us to present opportunities and continue to make loans to help people build credit," said Mr. Jones. "We all understand that until you get a credit score and you get into the mainstream financial system in America, you are operating off the grid. That's a place that's not sustainable to take advantage of all the opportunities we offer in this country for homeownership and upward mobility. So we see [the BEA Awards] as something critical to what we do."
Other witnesses included Annie Donovan, former CDFI Fund Director and Senior Fellow for the Center for Community Investment, Grace Fricks, President and CEO of Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs, and Joe Neri, CEO of IFF.
In celebration of this year's Black History Month, OneUnited Bank, the largest Black owned bank in the United States, recently launched its Royalty Campaign by introducing its new King Visa Debit Card. "We agree with James Baldwin," states Teri Williams, President & COO. "Our crown has already been bought and paid for. All we have to do is wear it." The bank acknowledges respected public figures such as Aretha Franklin, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Lebron James as inspirations behind the card.