National Summit Speakers

Mansur Abdul-Malik

Breakout Session - Scaling Solution: America’s Housing Crisis
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Senior Vice President
The NHP Foundation

Mansur Abdul-Malik joined NHPF in 2012. He is an integral member of the acquisition/development team, playing a lead role in the team’s multi-family affordable housing transactions. In support of the investment process, he produces financial models, market analysis, cash flow analysis review, and due-diligence activities for new acquisitions. He also manages risk, costs, the development schedule, and human resources while providing input and influence on the development strategy for projects going through redevelopment.  Abdul-Malik has been involved to date in $114 million in development funding benefiting the NHPF portfolio. He has also participated in acquisitions adding over $35 million in value to NHPF’s portfolio assets. With over five years of commercial real estate experience in the management of affordable and market-rate investments, he has an in-depth understanding of financial analysis and project management. He engages with project stakeholders, especially tenant groups, to oversee and lead development efforts. He is committed to working with project management teams to maintain and deliver within budgetary constraints. Along with financial analysis and project management services, Abdul-Malik also performs necessary due diligence, process development, and manages many other projects within the development process. Within the development community, he represents NHPF by volunteering, being a part of the ULI Washington Leadership Institute Program, and serving as a Generation HAND board member. He received a BS from the University of Baltimore and an MS from the University of Maryland.

Wilnerys Álvarez Rivera

Breakout Session - Empowering Capital: Fund of Funds & Revolving Loan Funds
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Chief Operating Officer, CCO and General Counsel
Parliament Capital Management

Wilnerys joined Parliament Capital Management (“Parliament”) in 2019 as Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel, and since 2023 also serves as the firm’s Chief Operating Officer. In her role, she oversees operations, investor relations, fund structuring, compliance, and legal affairs. Parliament, a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, manages approximately $1 billion, with a primary focus on private commercial credit and, to a lesser extent, equity investments.

Prior to joining Parliament, Wilnerys was Chief of Staff to the Chief Operating Officer at Americas Leading Finance (“ALF”), a San Juan–based subprime indirect auto lender and loan servicer. She also practiced law as an associate at a Puerto Rico firm, where she represented the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) in directors’ and officers’ liability cases involving three failed banks on the island.

Wilnerys holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown University Law Center, a Juris Doctor summa cum laude from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, and a B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico and is a notary public. She is also a Registered Investment Adviser Representative- Series 65 certified.

Kristin Blum

Breakout Session - Bridging the Finance Gaps to Address Abandonment — A Puerto Rico Spotlight
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Director of Lending
Housing Assistance Council

Kristin Blum leads the Housing Assistance Council’s CDFI Loan Fund, a growing resource for development and preservation of rural housing.  Prior to taking over as Director of Lending, Kristin launched HAC’s Center for Rural Multifamily Housing Preservation which is focused on preserving USDA Section 515 properties and other rental housing in rural America. Previously, Kristin led the business development and underwriting functions at HAC’s loan fund. She joined HAC in 2019 with 12 years of experience in community development lending and program development at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Coastal Enterprises, Inc. Earlier in her career, she gained hands on affordable housing development experience at two Boston-area nonprofit developers.  

Brett Bolton

Breakout Session - The Surging 2025 Bond Market
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Vice President of Federal Legislative & Regulatory Policy
Bond Dealers of America

Brett Bolton is the Vice President of Federal Legislative and Regulatory Policy at the Bond Dealers of America where he is responsible for analyzing federal legislative and regulatory policy and staffs the Municipal Bond Division and the Fixed Income Legal and Compliance Committee.
Prior to joining BDA, Mr. Bolton was a Principal Associate of Federal Advocacy at the National League of Cities (NLC) where he lobbied on state and local tax and finance and intergovernmental relations at the federal level. Prior to NLC, Mr. Bolton served as the Deputy Director of Federal Affairs for the State of Florida’s Washington, D.C. office. Prior to his lobbying work, Mr. Bolton served on Capitol Hill in the office of U.S. Representative Steve Southerland. He earned a Bachelors degree from Samford University and a Masters degree from the Florida State University’s Askew School of Public Administration and Policy.

Oreste Casciaro

Breakout Session - The Surging 2025 Bond Market
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Director, Relationship Management
The Bank of New York

Oreste has over 20 years’ experience in the financial services industry. He is a senior relationship manager at BNY’s Corporate Trust Public Finance group, covering the Northeast region, primarily supporting the largest municipal issuers in New York City and New York State. Oreste began his career at a New York Stock Exchange specialist-trading firm during which he obtained his BBA and MBA in Finance.

James Connor

Breakout Session - Empowering Capital: Fund of Funds & Revolving Loan Funds
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Chief Executive Officer
Sygnus Capital PR LLC

James Connor is a dynamic force in impact alternative investments, dedicated to expanding access to capital for small and middle-market companies operating in underserved sectors. As Chief Executive Officer of Sygnus Capital Puerto Rico, he leads the firm’s mission to drive economic growth and foster sustainable financial solutions for businesses that traditional lenders often overlook. With an extensive background in finance and investment, James was a founding partner and CEO of Acrecent Financial, which transitioned to become Sygnus Capital Puerto Rico in December 2023. Under his leadership, the firm established the LIFT Puerto Rico Business Impact Funds, a pioneering initiative now central to Sygnus Capital’s portfolio, designed to fuel economic resilience and entrepreneurial success. Throughout his career, James has played a pivotal role in deploying over $3.5 billion in capital and raising more than $500 million in equity and debt financing. His strategic vision has directly supported thousands of businesses across Puerto Rico and emerging markets, ensuring their continued growth and sustainability. Before joining Sygnus Capital, James spent nearly a decade at GE Capital, where he rose to the position of President of Caribbean Operations. In this role, he managed a $1 billion portfolio, providing financial solutions to more than 3,000 businesses across the region. James holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Finance from Columbia Business School and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management from Purdue University Daniels School of Business. During his time at Purdue, he was actively involved in leadership development as a member of the Mortar Board National Honor Society and the Purdue Student Union Board. Beyond his professional achievements, James is deeply committed to promoting economic opportunity, justice, and inclusion. Through his leadership, he continues to champion financial solutions that empower disadvantaged communities and catalyze lasting, positive change.

Noé Crespo

Lunch Plenary - Incentivizing Private Capital for the Long Term
Thursday, October 9, 12:00 - 1:30 PM

Associate Director of BioLeap
parallel18

Dr. Noé Crespo earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Rio Piedras, followed by a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) in Biochemistry from the UPR School of Medicine. His doctoral thesis concentrated on the rare disease Setleis syndrome and the protein dynamics of the associated transcription factor. He then pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at Genentech Inc., where he explored natural bioactive products targeting overexpressed ion channels in cancer. Currently, Dr. Crespo serves as the Associate Director of the international startup program, parallel18.

Throughout his early career, Dr. Crespo received numerous awards and recognitions from federal and scientific institutions, including fellowship grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Crespo's engagement in business and innovation began with a workshop on Bioentrepreneurship during the BIO Conference 2019. Since then, he has been actively involved as a research analyst, offering assessments and strategies to various investment entities focusing on private healthcare and biotechnology companies.

Jennifer Crowther

Breakout Session - Innovation in Small Business Financing
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Senior Vice President, Capitalization & Impact
PIDC (Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation)

Jennifer has over 20 years of experience serving communities in Philadelphia and focuses on finance, product development, impact analysis, program evaluation, fundraising, and investor relations.

As PIDC’s Senior Vice President of Capitalization & Impact, Jennifer is responsible for shaping, leading, and implementing a comprehensive capitalization and investor relations strategy. She oversees organization-wide impact analysis & reporting. Additionally, she designs and launches new financial products. Prior to her role as Senior Vice President, Jennifer served as PIDC’s Vice President, Product & Resource Development.

Since 2008, Jennifer has raised more than $136 million from private, public, and philanthropic sources and secured $413 million in New Markets Tax Credits. She has created several new financing programs including a forgivable loan product, commercial mortgage product, contract line of credit, and working capital product as well as grant programs for stormwater mitigation and COVID-19 relief.

Jennifer has more than a decade of experience in the community development financial institution (CDFI) industry. She started PIDC’s CDFI, PIDC Community Capital, in 2012 and oversees the annual AERIS rating process.

Jennifer graduated from Haverford College with a B.A. in Political Science and went on to earn M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. She lives in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philadelphia with her husband and two children.

Brett Doney

Peer-Led Innovation Showcase - New Ideas Driving Community Development Finance
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

President & Chief Executive Officer
Great Falls Development Authority

Brett Doney has led the Great Falls Montana Development Alliance (GFDA) since late 2006. GFDA is a public/private economic development partnership and certified Community Development Financial Institute (CDFI) serving the 13-county region. Its work spans a wide range of activities, including business development, housing, workforce, infrastructure, and redevelopment in across a variety of sectors such as food and ag processing, energy, manufacturing, health, defense, and business services. It is accredited by the International Economic Development Council and nationally recognized for finance, transparency, and organizational leadership. Under Doney’s leadership, GFDA has helped attract over $5.5 billion of private investment.

Doney has 41 years of experience in economic development across nonprofit, public, and private sectors. His prior positions include: President/CEO of Enterprise Maine, a family of community economic development organizations and CDFI in rural western Maine; Director of the Ft. Devens Reuse Center, a 9,600-acre army base redevelopment effort in Massachusetts; and President of B. Doney Associates, a Boston-based consulting firm focused on urban revitalization, public/private real estate development, and innovative economic development.

Doney's team efforts have won numerous awards from IEDC, SBA, NADO, the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), the Montana Economic Developers Association (MEDA), the National Brownfields Conference, the American Economic Development Council, and the Finance Authority of Maine. His professional certifications include Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), Master of Corporate Real Estate (MCR), Senior Leader of Corporate Real Estate (SLCR), American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Federal Grants Management, Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP), and Economic Gardening®. He is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute of the University of Oklahoma and has earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

A frequent speaker, instructor, and volunteer, Doney remains active in state and national economic development organizations such as CDFA, IEDC, MEDA, NADO, and other associations. He currently serves on IEDC’s Accreditation Review Board and its Public Policy and Research Partner Committees. He is an active Rotarian and past President of the Great Falls Rotary Club.

Brad Elphick

Breakout Session - Islands of Impact: Deploying NMTCs Where They Matter Most
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Partner
Novogradac & Company LLP

Brad Elphick is a partner in the metro Atlanta office of Novogradac. He has extensive experience in the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC), historic tax credit (HTC) and new markets tax credit (NMTC) incentives, including their use in Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. Elphick specializes in consulting, with an emphasis in forecasting and partnership taxation. He also works extensively with real estate partnership audits and compliance audits, as well as the structuring of and preparing applications for LIHTC and NMTC transactions. Elphick also leads and coordinates the NMTC Working Group and GAAP Accounting for Tax Credits Working Group. Each is a membership organization that is highly regarded for the work they do addressing technical programmatic issues surrounding the NMTC world and GAAP accounting issues related to tax credits.

He is a regular contributor to the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits’ NMTC content, a frequent speaker at industry events and serves as chair of Novogradac’s annual fall New Markets Tax Credit Conference. He is often a speaker at state housing credit conferences in the Southeast. Elphick received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance from Emory University and a master’s degree in taxation from Georgia State University. He is licensed in Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, Virginia and the District of Columbia as a certified public accountant.

Brian Farnen

Breakout Session - Clean Energy Financing in a Changing Policy Landscape
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

General Counsel & Chief Legal Advisor/Assistant Professor of the Practice at Fairfield University
Connecticut Green Bank

As General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for the Connecticut Green Bank, Brian directs all legal, legislative and regulatory affairs for the nation’s first green bank established in 2011, a global leader in renewable and energy efficiency financing and winner of the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School of Government Ash Award for innovation in 2017. In addition to his role with Connecticut Green Bank, Brian is also a Professor of the Practice at Fairfield University. 

Brian’s counsel is helping the Green Bank realize its mission of leveraging public and private funds to scale-up renewable energy deployment and energy efficiency projects. In fact, the Green Bank has mobilized over $1.7 billion of total clean energy investment since 2012.

Brian was awarded by the Connecticut Law Tribune as the “Best In-House Counsel” of the Year in 2018 and previously named a “New Leader in the Law” in 2013. He is passionate about the energy space, taught business law and finance as an adjunct professor, is an Executive Board Member of the Council of Development Finance Agencies, the Clean Energy Finance Chair of the West Midlands Combined Authority (United Kingdom) and is a former member of the CT Judicial Review Counsel.

Directly prior to the Green Bank, Brian was a senior attorney with United Technologies’ Sikorsky Aircraft business unit, providing legal counsel for the international sale of the Black Hawk helicopter, as well handling all of Sikorsky’s global environmental, health and safety matters. Brian also has worked as an attorney for MassMutual Financial Group and Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge.
Brian proudly represented the 132nd Assembly District, covering Fairfield and Southport Connecticut in 2020 during the COVID pandemic.

Brian obtained his Bachelor of Arts Degree, Masters of Business Administration (Finance) and Juris Doctorate from the University of Connecticut.

Price Finley

Breakout Session - Making TIF Work: Financing Housing and Redevelopment
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Partner
Bricker Graydon Wyatt

Price Finley has practiced law at Bricker Graydon Wyatt since beginning his legal career in 1990, with his practice focused on municipal bonds. He has extensive experience across all areas of public finance, including local government finance, economic development finance, and other structured and project financings. Price has broad experience with economic development tools, including frequent use of tax increment financing. He has also created and served as legal counsel for a wide range of overlay assessing and tax districts, including community development authorities, joint economic development districts, and special improvement districts. In addition, his practice includes assisting local governments and developers with the negotiation and documentation of development agreements for infrastructure financing and tax incentive arrangements, including real property tax, income tax, and sales tax exemptions. Price also has significant experience working with development finance agencies, including Ohio port authorities.

Price is a member of the Council of Development Finance Agencies and serves on its Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Ohio Economic Development Association and the National Association of Bond Lawyers. He received his undergraduate degree from Capital University and his JD/MBA from The Ohio State University. In 2023, Price received the CDFA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lynne Funk

Breakout Session - The Surging 2025 Bond Market
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Senior Director, Strategy and Content, Live Media
The Bond Buyer

Lynne Funk is Senior Director, Strategy and Content, Live Media - Municipal Finance. She leads and shapes The Bond Buyer's six major events, serving as host, moderator, thought leader and brand ambassador. Lynne also is charged with creating innovative live media formats, including new conferences, virtual summits and podcasts to help serve our municipal finance community. Lynne has nearly two decades of experience in the public finance industry. She was most recently Executive Editor of The Bond Buyer. Previously, she was a director at Municipal Market Analytics, Inc., and in the Policy and Public Advocacy for the Municipal Securities Division at the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Ruth Fussell

Breakout Session - After the Storm: How Cities Can Finance Their Recovery
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Vice President, Business Development Officer
Computershare Trust Company

Ruth Fussell is a Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Computershare and has over 30 years of Corporate Trust experience. She was part of Wells Fargo Bank-Corporate Trust which was acquired by Computershare Trust Company in November 2021. Throughout her 30+ year tenure in the industry, Ruth has expertise in various Capital Market products including Structured Finance (RMBS, CMBS, GNMAs), Conventional Debt, M&A Escrows and Municipal Debt.

Ruth covers the Municipal Debt Northeast territory and is stationed in the New York Office. As a veteran of the corporate trust industry, Ruth originated the GNMA product at Wells Fargo in 2003 and pioneered the industry’s HECM reverse mortgage product in 2006. Prior to Wells Fargo, Ruth was at Bank One, was the Head of the International Team at Chase and the Team Lead at DKB Corporate Trust. Ruth earned her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from New York University, in Business Administration and Marketing. Ruth is a bottom-line contributor who is consistently recognized for exceeding expectations and was awarded in June 2025 as one of The Top Women Leaders of 2025 by Women We Admire.

Luis Gallardo

Breakout Session - Bridging the Finance Gaps to Address Abandonment — A Puerto Rico Spotlight
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Executive Director
Center for Habitat Reconstruction

Luis Gallardo is Executive Director of the Center for Habitat Reconstruction, a Puerto Rico-based non-profit dedicated to promoting the conversion of vacant and abandoned properties for affordable housing, resiliency, and community development. Gallardo has ample experience as a consultant for non-profits, community-based organizations, and city governments on issues of property rights, nuisance abatement, and municipal law. With a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in City Management from Valdosta State University, Georgia, as well as a Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico, Luis has demonstrated a particular interest in tenure security, community participation, and blight control. 

Brinda Ganguly

Breakout Session - Innovation in Small Business Financing
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Executive Vice President
New York City Economic Development Corporation

Brinda Ganguly, is the Executive Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC). At NYCEDC, she leads the Strategic Investments Group, overseeing the organization’s impact investing efforts. Brinda is passionate about using finance as a tool for social change and has more than 20 years of experience in the investment space, the bulk on transactions with a dual mission around generating financial returns and social impact. Prior to joining NYCEDC, Brinda was the Chief Operating and Chief Compliance Officer at Elevar Equity, an impact venture capital firm that invests in Latin America and India. Earlier in her career, she managed impact investing portfolios—across asset classes—at The Rockefeller Foundation, Living Cities, and the Open Society Foundation. Brinda has also worked at Citigroup, in the corporate investment bank, covering healthcare clients; and at Charles River Associates, an economic consulting firm. Brinda graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a BA in economics and Spanish, and she holds an MBA from Columbia Business School. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

Jorge Gaskins

Breakout Session - Clean Energy Financing in a Changing Policy Landscape
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Executive Director
Barrio Eléctrico

Jorge Gaskins is part of the founding team of Barrio Eléctrico, a past President of the Board of Directors. He comes from a life-long experience in creating companies and projects in the agricultural and food processing field. He was educated by living in Amazonian villages and by studying at Phillips Academy Andover and at Yale University. He became interested in renewable energy through biofuels and is now dedicated to making solar energy accessible and affordable for communities in Puerto Rico. He has devised, developed and directed projects in Puerto Rico and Latin America around sustainability, justice and the development of the national and community economy. He constantly searches for new finance and capital models based on sustainable community values. He is a life-companion of a wonderful Puerto Rican woman, father of three super creative beings and proud grandfather of six.

David Geeter Alvarez

Breakout Session - Breaking Down Barriers: Funding Challenges in the U.S. Food System
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Program Manager, Unlock Capital – CDVCA | Co-Founder, Puerto Rico Impact Investment Network
Community Development Venture Capital Alliance

David Geeter is a capital strategist and impact venture advisor dedicated to advancing equitable access to capital across underserved communities. At the Community Development Venture Capital Alliance (CDVCA), he manages Unlock Capital, a national accelerator that prepares early-stage, underrepresented entrepreneurs for investment, including food and agriculture ventures navigating systemic funding barriers.

Previously, through Futura Studio, David helped design and pilot innovative food system funding models, working alongside entrepreneurs and ecosystem partners to unlock new pathways for investment in sustainable agriculture and food businesses. Building on this experience, he now co-leads the Puerto Rico Impact Investment Network (PRIIN), a community of investors, philanthropists, and entrepreneurs committed to advancing impact investing and inclusive economic development across the island.

David brings experience spanning systems innovation, alternative finance, and ecosystem-building to bridge the gap between institutional capital and sustainable community development. 

Laura Gorbea

Welcome to Puerto Rico - A Blueprint for Resilient and Inclusive Development
Thursday, October 9, 9:00 - 9:45 AM

Executive Director
Puerto Rico Public and Applied Social Sciences Workshop

As Executive Director, Laura Gorbea oversees day-to-day operations and their alignment with PR PASS's mission and vision, and is responsible for developing projects that bring together members and student interns to advance the mission and vision of PR PASS. Some of her current projects in development include the production of a digital humanities television program, a school community revitalization program focused on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics), and a humanities news platform for students.

Dr. Gorbea is a social scientist with 20 years of experience as an applied anthropologist, technology entrepreneur, and education policy consultant. Her applied work has focused on school community engagement, corporate social responsibility, and multimodal communication strategies. She has served as an education consultant for the Puerto Rico Department of Education on a variety of topics, including bilingual education and the impact of children's exposure to violence on learning. In her research and practice, Ms. Gorbea has visited over 200 schools on the island and developed curricula for programs that have impacted over 14,000 students. She has also been an active media presence addressing technology and innovation.

Dr. Gorbea is also the President and founder of Altamente, a company that designs social outreach programs, provides technology integration solutions, and multimedia communication services to private companies. She has served on the boards of several private industry associations and has been a mentor and advocate for technology startups, innovative entrepreneurs, and the advancement of the arts and humanities.

Dr. Gorbea holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. She earned a Master of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from Stanford University in California. Ms. Gorbea earned her PhD in Applied Anthropology from Stanford University in 2012. She actively conducts fieldwork and shares her findings at academic conferences.

Nellie Gorbea

Breakout Session - Clean Energy Financing in a Changing Policy Landscape
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

President and CEO
Puerto Rico Green Energy Trust

Nellie Gorbea has over 30 years of leadership experience across the government, nonprofit, and for-profit sectors. Known for her ability to drive innovation, diversity, and organizational change, she has consistently transformed organizations. In 2024, she became the founding President and CEO of the Puerto Rico Green Energy Trust, dedicated to ensuring clean, affordable, and reliable energy to all in Puerto Rico. The Trust funds research, development, and infrastructure projects focused on renewable energy. As Rhode Island's Secretary of State (2015–2023), Gorbea led technological advancements, increased business incorporations by 70%, boosted civic engagement, and achieved record voter turnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2014, she became the first Hispanic elected to statewide office in New England. Gorbea has a long history of civic leadership in nonprofit boards. She currently serves on the boards of the Touro Synagogue Foundation in Newport, RI and the national BoricuActivatEd. She is also on the advisory boards of The Ascend Fund and Grupo 21. A native of Puerto Rico and mother of three, Gorbea holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University and a bachelor’s from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs. She recently completed the Certificate Program in Financing and Deploying Clean Energy at Yale’s Center for Business and the Environment .

Christopher Hicks

Breakout Session - Evolving Models for Financing Transportation and Capital Infrastructure Projects
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

President & Vice Chairman
Provident Resources Group Inc.

As Provident’s President and Vice Chairman of the Board, Mr. Hicks is a member of the executive team that establishes the company’s strategy, culture, and fulfillment of its charitable missions.  Mr. Hicks also spearheads Provident’s public-private partnership financings, working with project partners and beneficiaries, financing partners, investors and rating agencies to ensure successful financial execution and an ongoing commitment to our partners for the life of our engagement.  His role includes management of origination, analysis, and execution efforts for transactions and project relationships across a variety of asset classes. Chris works to foster relationships with state and local governments, public and private universities, and healthcare systems, as well as development partners, allowing Provident to utilize its proven financing platform to further not only its non-profit missions but the missions of each of these partners.
 
Prior to joining Provident, Mr. Hicks spent 18 years in the Public Finance Department of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., departing in 2019 as a Director in their Higher Education and Public Private Partnership Groups. During his time at Citi, Mr. Hicks worked with clients on over $25 Billion in financings.
 
Mr. Hicks holds a B.A. in Economics and Political Science from Wake Forest University.

Oliver Hopkins

Breakout Session - Islands of Impact: Deploying NMTCs Where They Matter Most
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Partner
Kutak Rock LLP

A member of the firm’s tax credit practice group, Oliver focuses his practice on community development and tax incentive finance products including federal new markets tax credits, state new markets tax credits, opportunity zones, historic rehabilitation credits, renewable energy credits, and other related state and federal financing products. Oliver has a wide range of experience representing developers, investors, insurance companies, institutional lenders, banks, syndicators, investment funds, housing agencies, and corporations. Oliver’s practice includes structuring and closing transactions and representing clients across a variety of transaction structures including multi-investor funds and syndicated funds. 

Eduardo Inclán

Breakout Session - Empowering Capital: Fund of Funds & Revolving Loan Funds
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Managing Director
Bluhaus Capital

Eduardo M. Inclán Pietrantoni is Founder and Managing Director at Bluhaus Capital. He is also Founder and Managing Principal at Bluhaus Small Business Fund and Bluhaus Small Business Fund II, both Small Business Investment Companies focused on supporting Puerto Rico based businesses. He serves as board member of the Atlas US Tactical Income Fund, and East Island Excursions, Inc. Prior to founding Bluhaus, Eduardo was head of Santander Securities’ investment banking group.

Jennifer Jackson

Breakout Session - Making TIF Work: Financing Housing and Redevelopment
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Deputy Director
City of Albuquerque

Jennifer Jackson is Albuquerque’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency Deputy Director. Prior to joining the City in 2023, she worked as a grant writer, researcher, and technical writer for over a decade. In all of her roles, she has supported state and local government entities and nonprofits nationwide to design and fund a range of economic development, infrastructure, workforce training, and education projects. She has a BA in English and Art History from Johns Hopkins University, and both an MA in Latin American Studies and an MBA from the University of New Mexico. She also recently completed the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative’s Leading Economic Development in Cities Program. Jennifer is an Albuquerque Business First 40 Under Forty awardee and graduate of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Albuquerque program.

Héctor Jirau Colón

Lunch Plenary - Incentivizing Private Capital for the Long Term
Thursday, October 9, 12:00 - 1:30 PM

Executive Director
parallel18

Dr. Héctor Jirau is a professional investor at the intersection of science and finance, holding a B.S. in Cell & Molecular Biology, an M.S. in Financial Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. He possesses a Series 65 license and has experience as an investment advisor representative at a state-registered advisory firm, specializing in separately managed accounts within the biotechnology sector.

In his investment career, Dr. Jirau has demonstrated a robust track record, contributing to early and late-stage investments in prominent companies such as Anthropic AI, SpaceX and Stripe. He has successfully overseen the deployment and raising of over $50 million in private risk capital and more than $5 million in grants and non-dilutive funding.

He has held pivotal roles including Investment Fund Manager, Director of Operations and Investments, and currently serves as the Executive Director of parallel18, a globally recognized startup accelerator. Under his leadership, parallel18 offers entrepreneurs worldwide access to high-quality business training, funding, and networks to scale their ventures globally, while positioning Puerto Rico as a unique hub for innovative businesses and technology.

Dr. Jirau is committed to community engagement, serving as a trustee on the board of the University of Puerto Rico Natural Sciences Trust and as a member of the Board of Directors at Pro Arte Musical, Puerto Rico's oldest musical society.

Geoffrey Johns

Breakout Session - Evolving Models for Financing Transportation and Capital Infrastructure Projects
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Chief Investment Officer
Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority


Geoffrey Johns has over 20 years’ experience in the international Oil & Gas industry with a strong background in finance, project economics and planning. Prior to joining the AIDEA, Geoff was the Finance Director of Blue Ridge Mountain Resources, an independent E&P natural gas company with assets in the Appalachian region.

Geoff’s career began in the Canadian Oil & Gas sector where he worked in both upstream (oil sands, natural gas) and mid-stream (pipelines, power and infrastructure) in various finance, strategy and economic roles. Geoff has also worked internationally, spending over 5 years in Norway working in the off-shore segment of the O&G industry.

He holds a B.Sc., an MBA in Finance and a Competitive Intelligence Professional certificate. Geoff was also a member of the Canadian National Rowing team for many years.

Chris Jones

Breakout Session - Breaking Down Barriers: Funding Challenges in the U.S. Food System
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Senior Director
NASDA - National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

Chris Jones joined the NASDA Foundation in January 2023. In this role, he leads projects and programs, strengthens partnerships and elevates the foundation’s visibility. He comes to the NASDA Foundation from the National Pork Board, where he served in various director roles on the Domestic Market Development team. In these roles he led task forces and projects that enabled demand growth for pork throughout the industry supply chain. Additionally, he worked to collaborate with various strategic partners in an effort to bring a holistic story to market about how agriculture commodities can work together to make a difference in our communities. Prior to his work with National Pork Board, Chris spent time in several consumer packaged goods roles with Weston Foods, Heartland Food Products Group, and various national retailers. Chris holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and intercultural education from Wheaton College and a master’s in business administration from Colorado State University. In addition to his degrees, Chris holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate from the Project Management Institute and a Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) certification from the American Marketing Association. Chris currently resides in Fishers, Indiana with his family, and enjoys spending time cycling and in the outdoors in his free time.

Keith Jones

Breakout Session - Islands of Impact: Deploying NMTCs Where They Matter Most
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Director
Stonehenge Capital Company

Keith Jones works with several Stonehenge funds that target small businesses in underserved markets.  Keith spends most of his time on Stonehenge’s $50 million funds targeted towards small businesses based in rural Ohio that need flexible debt capital.   Keith also is part of the team deploying a $225 million debt fund supporting small businesses nationally.  Stonehenge is a nationally-recognized specialty finance company that has invested over $1.7 billion in small businesses since 1999.  Keith also works with the Stonehenge New Markets Tax Credits platform, where Stonehenge is one of the leading national firms in receiving allocation since the inception of the program.  Prior to joining Stonehenge, Keith worked for Lancaster Pollard, an investment bank focused on health care and senior living organizations, where he performed financial analysis, credit/risk analysis, and valuation across a range of investment and mortgage banking products for clients nationwide. Keith has a BA from Case Western Reserve University and an MBA from Ohio State University.

Charity Karanja

Breakout Session - Lessons from Corridor Revitalization Projects
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Attorney
Butler Snow LLP

Charity is a member of Butler Snow’s Public Finance, Tax Incentives and Credit Markets Group and is a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) through the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). She also has the distinction of being one of six women in the nation named to the 2024 Class of the Caren S. Franzini Fellowship, a merit-based program by the CDFA Foundation, recognizing outstanding women in development finance for their leadership and dedication to the advancement of the industry.

In her law practice, Charity has served in multiple roles on public, private, and public-private finance transactions, including economic development matters, and has represented both governmental and private organizations in a variety of financing structures, including new market tax credit (NMTC) transactions.

Charity earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor from the University of Mississippi School of Law and is a member of various civic and legal organizations, including the National Association of Bond Lawyers (NABL), Women in Public Finance (WPF), and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). She is a member of the prestigious WPF Emerging Leaders Council (ELC) and the Mississippi Bar Leadership Program. She has also been featured in a Spotlight by NABL, and is listed by a variety of industry publications, including: The Bond Buyer: Rising Stars, Super Lawyers: Mid-South Rising Stars, Marquis Who’s Who in America and The National Black Lawyers: Top 40 Under 40.

As part of her continued dedication to the industry, Charity has presented at various conferences and seminars on matters relating to public finance, including the CDFA National Development Finance Summit, and has authored various articles, including a financing toolkit for medium-density housing developments titled: “Financing Tools and Incentives for Developers in Missing Middle Housing.”

Frances Kern Mennone

Breakout Session - Scaling Solution: America’s Housing Crisis
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Managing Director
FBT Gibbons

As a Managing Director at FBT Gibbons' Industry Consultants and Advisors, Frances is a strategic architect of transformational public-private partnerships who builds a financial and strategic roadmap from concept through capital stack to completion. She is recognized for her ability to take new projects from nascent concepts into successful realities and add measurable value to the communities and organizations she serves.
 
Frances is a national authority on Opportunity Zones and one of the most sought-after voices on the 2026 designation process. A frequent speaker on OZ policy and practice, she is known for translating a complex and fast-moving program into terms investors, developers, and communities can act on. She advises clients and communities on OZ 2.0 designation strategy and is building the Heartland OZ Fund.
 
Frances is adept at connecting stakeholders, negotiating competing interests, and identifying funding resources that others miss. She navigates federal and state funding mechanisms including competitive grant programs, appropriations, and programmatic funding. She actively advocates for state and federal bills that advance economic development and infrastructure funding, including working with the Ohio River Way to advance the pending Ohio River Restoration Act.
 
Her work unlocking stalled mall demolition projects has led to the nickname "Dead Mall Slayer" — she secured state demolition funding for Forest Fair and Westland malls through strategic structuring that maximized public investment and minimized client out-of-pocket costs.
 
Frances has extensive experience with federal competitive grant programs, Opportunity Zones, New Markets Tax Credits, Historic Tax Credits, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE), and other innovative funding mechanisms for complex public-private partnerships.

Allison Kern

Breakout Session - Empowering Capital: Fund of Funds & Revolving Loan Funds
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Partner
Morro Ventures

Allison Kern is a Partner at Morro Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Puerto Rico. Morro Ventures focuses on regionally scalable startups across diverse tech verticals in the Caribbean and Latin America, with checks up to $2 million across equity and debt.

Allison joined Morro Ventures in March 2017 from StarVest Partners, a $250 million expansion-stage venture capital fund based in New York. Prior to StarVest, Allison was an investment analyst at the Carlyle Group. Allison began her career in London at the Royal Bank of Scotland. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Katie Littman

Breakout Session - Lessons from Corridor Revitalization Projects
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Deputy Director, Cabinet for Economic Development
Louisville Metro Government

Katie Littman is the Deputy Director of the Economic Development Cabinet in Louisville, Kentucky. In this role, she oversees projects dedicated to improving Louisville’s “quality of place,” including the creation of affordable housing, vibrant neighborhoods, and a revitalized downtown. Previously, Katie served in Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg’s office as the Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategic Partnerships, where she won multiple federal grant awards and helped secure a $100 million state investment in downtown Louisville.
 
A Louisville native, Katie received a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and French from the University of Kentucky before moving to Washington, D.C. to pursue a Master of Public Policy from Georgetown University. After interning with the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development and Living Cities, she spent several years working in economic development for the DC government. She is thrilled to be back in her hometown, helping to grow the very city that raised her. In her free time, she loves spending time outside with her husband Ryan and their two dogs, Porridge and Finn.

Mary Louk

Breakout Session - Underwriting in Times of Economic Change
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Breakout Session - Empowering Capital: Fund of Funds & Revolving Loan Funds
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Director of Credit
Grow America

Mary Louk currently serves as Director of Credit for Grow America, overseeing the credit process for all Grow America Business Lending, including the SBA 7A program. She also has served as the Small Business Program Manager helping launch various loan programs across the Grow America footprint that focus on serving the target markets of low-income and minority-owned businesses. She came to Grow America after spending 12+ years in various roles in the banking industry.

Terrence Louk

Breakout Session - Underwriting in Times of Economic Change
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Breakout Session - Innovation in Small Business Financing
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Chief Executive Officer
Coastal Area District Development Authority, Inc

Terrence Louk is the CEO of Coastal Area District Development Authority (CADDA), a certified Development Company with offices in Brunswick and Savannah, GA. Terrence and the CADDA team work closely with businesses, lending partners, municipalities, and economic development agencies throughout Coastal Georgia, northern Florida and southern South Carolina helping businesses gain access to business loans to start, grow, and expand business. CADDA offers SBA 504, SBA Community Advantage, RLF, USDA IRP RLF and EDA CARES Act RLF to help finance growth. Terrence has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Finance from Youngstown State University. He has been working in economic development and commercial lending for over a decade. He completed The Grow America’s (fka National Development Council) Economic Development Financial Profession Certification (EDFP) in 2016 and the Council of Development Finance Agencies’ Development Finance Certified Professional Program (DFCP) in December 2019.

Luis A. López Díaz

Breakout Session - Bridging the Finance Gaps to Address Abandonment — A Puerto Rico Spotlight
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Planning and Grant Management Director
Puerto Rico Department of Housing

Luis López is a Social Researcher and Planner with emphasis on Social Policy and Economic Systems Planning. Currently managing and collaborating with public and private entities through Puerto Rico’s CDBG-DR and CDBG-MIT Planning Programs Portfolio, specifically with local planning context, action plan research and development, program design, implementation, among others.

Naina Magon

Breakout Session - Making TIF Work: Financing Housing and Redevelopment
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Managing Principal
Hawes Hill & Associates, LLP

Naina Magon has over 25 years in economic development, planning and finance experience in municipal government and consulting at the city, county and regional levels. She has served both public and private sector clients in facilitating new investment and development/revitalization efforts through creative and implementable solutions, including financing of public infrastructure and projects. Naina has worked with communities in evaluating their current economic situation, identifying opportunities, and developing strategic plans with solutions to move forward. She has successfully combined her passion for planning and economic development, allowing her to create and implement comprehensive and inclusive solutions for communities, with the goal of enhancing prosperity and fostering growth.

As a Principal with Hawes Hill & Associates, she has been involved in the creation and management of special districts including Tax Increment Reinvestment Zones and Municipal Management Districts, throughout the State of Texas. She specializes in assessing existing conditions and needs, project feasibility, financial analysis, project implementation and development agreements. Her background in economic development and planning along with her experience in development finance have allowed her to work with clients in crafting solutions and creative financing mechanisms for funding public infrastructure and achieving community goals.

Naina has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Calgary and a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Texas A & M University. She has worked with communities all over Texas and served on several panels speaking on the creative use of public financing in achieving community goals.

Joel Markland

Breakout Session - Knockout Strategies for Brownfield Redevelopment
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

President
BCA Environmental Consultants, LLC

Joel Markland is the President of BCA Environmental Consultants and BCA Environmental Caribe (BCA), full service environmental consulting firms focusing on investigation, remediation, and redevelopment of brownfield properties throughout the Midwest and the Caribbean. He is a nationally recognized expert in brownfields redevelopment, working with local government agencies, non-profits, and private stakeholders to develop funding strategies to facilitate the redevelopment of brownfields and other contaminated properties. Mr. Markland's professional experience includes environmental investigation and remediation, brownfield program management, providing technical assistance to municipal clients, grant writing, community outreach, and client relations. He holds leadership roles on multiple national organizations’ boards, focused on brownfields funding and reuse.

Daniel Marsh

Breakout Session - Islands of Impact: Deploying NMTCs Where They Matter Most
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Special Advisor to the President
Grow America

Daniel Marsh was elevated to President and CEO of Grow America, formerly National Development Council (NDC), in January 2017. His work in the field of economic and community development has spanned 35 years in the public, private and non-profit sectors and includes all aspects of business finance and real estate development. He oversees every aspect of Grow America’s staff and operations across the US, including technical assistance and training, community development financing, small business lending, and affordable housing. Prior to becoming President and CEO, Marsh also served as a Regional Director and Senior Manager and is credited with creating Grow America’s nationally recognized nonprofit P3 program using tax-exempt financing for social infrastructure development.

Before joining Grow America, Marsh served in a number of positions for the City of Newburgh, New York, rising to become the Executive Director of Newburgh’s Office of Economic Development, carrying out a revitalization program that secured more than $100 million in investment. During that same time, he was the founding director of the Newburgh Local Development Corporation and Executive Director of the City’s Industrial Development Agency, overseeing both the financing and development of key commercial and industrial real estate projects, and created New York State’s first Small Issue Industrial Revenue Bond Pool.
 
Marsh graduated from Hartwick College with a Bachelor’s in Urban Affairs. He also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Ian McCormack

Breakout Session - Scaling Solution: America’s Housing Crisis
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Chief Credit Officer and General Counsel
McCormack Baron Salazar

Ian McCormack is the Chief Credit Officer of McCormack Baron Salazar and General Counsel for all McCormack Baron companies. In his capacity as General Counsel, he runs the legal department and advises the Board of Directors, the CEO and other executives on matters of legal risk. In his capacity as Chief Credit Officer, he works with new business and development on transaction structures from a risk/return prospective. He is responsible for ensuring all development structures meet MBS underwriting and legal standards.

Frankie Miranda

Welcome to Puerto Rico - A Blueprint for Resilient and Inclusive Development
Thursday, October 9, 9:00 - 9:45 AM

President & Chief Executive Officer
Hispanic Federation


Frankie Miranda is the first openly gay president and CEO of the Hispanic Federation (HF), the nation’s premier Latino non-profit membership organization. He took the helm of HF in December of 2019, shortly before COVID-19 was declared a national emergency.  
  
Frankie has worked rapidly to address the urgent needs of Latino communities and Latino-serving nonprofits as they faced the disproportionate effects of the pandemic. During the pandemic, he grew the organization’s programming while providing over $33.5 million in COVID-related grants to more than 500 nonprofits in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia.  
   
Since joining HF in 1998, he has played a key role in expanding the organization’s operations while also establishing critical programs that support hundreds of thousands of Latinos. Frankie launched disaster relief and resiliency projects in Puerto Rico that expanded the island’s reliance on renewable energy and revitalized the coffee industry, a key sector of the local economy. He also established the Advance Change Together (ACT) Initiative, a program designed to empower organizations that support the Latinx LGBTQ+ communities. He also oversees HF’s annual gala, which now raises more than $3 million annually.   
  
Frankie sits on the external Comcast Corporate DEI Advisory Council and is a trustee of Fundación Banco Popular. He holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Puerto Rico and an MA in Performance Studies from New York University. Frankie lives in Queens with his husband Ricardo and cat Valentina.  .

Thomas Mulvihill

Breakout Session - Evolving Models for Financing Transportation and Capital Infrastructure Projects
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Managing Director
KeyBanc Capital Markets

Tom Mulvihill is a Managing Director and Group Head of KeyBanc Capital Market’s Infrastructure and Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Business.  He brings more than 20 years of U.S. Capital Markets experience from both public and project finance. Tom’s experience includes strategic and financial advisory services, transaction structuring, procurement and execution for clients in the transportation, social infrastructure and utility sectors.

Johanna Nelson

Breakout Session - Innovation in Small Business Financing
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Economic Development Director
City of Santa Fe

Johanna has worked in economic development for over 10 years, currently, she works under the Cabinet Secretary’s Office within the New Mexico Economic Development Department as a Strategic Program Development Coordinator. She is a Certified Economic Developer through the International Economic Development Council and was a previous Franzini Fellow with CDFA. She has owned several small businesses and currently operates a small business in her spare time. She holds an MBA in Organizational Development and a Bachelor’s of Science in Industrial Technology and Design.

Sarah Ortner

Breakout Session - Lessons from Corridor Revitalization Projects
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Associate Director
Milken Institute

Sarah Ortner is a Senior Associate of Finance at the Milken Institute, where she supports the Pathways to Capital portfolio. Her work centers on climate resilience, community infrastructure deployment, and expanding access to capital in emerging markets.

China Osborn

Breakout Session - Making TIF Work: Financing Housing and Redevelopment
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Redevelopment Project Manager
City of Albuquerque

China F. Osborn is a Redevelopment Project Manager for Albuquerque’s Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency, where she leads the Redevelopment Tax Abatement and Tax Increment Finance programs. Before starting with the City two years ago, she worked in planning in the both public and private sectors, spending the prior 17 years of her career in Mexico City, specializing in environmental quality review, subdivision and master planning and real estate administration and management for planned communities. China has a B.A. in Economics and Spanish from Earlham College and has AICP certification from the American Planning Association. China also serves on the boards of the Urban Land Institute’s New Mexico Chapter and the Albuquerque Affordable Housing Coalition.

Brent Parker

Breakout Session - Reimagining Opportunity Zones
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Partner
Novogradac & Company LLP

Brent Parker is a partner in the Long Beach, California, office of Novogradac. Brent is experienced in affordable housing and community development, working with for-profit and nonprofit organizations in a variety of tax incentivized real estate-oriented ventures at both the project and fund levels. He has a particular focus on investments in qualified opportunity funds and the low-income housing tax credit, in addition to serving private equity commercial/market-rate clients. In addition to providing various consulting services, Brent leads extensive tax planning and tax return preparation engagements for a wide variety of clientele and works extensively on financial statement audits, reviews and agreed-upon procedures engagements. In response to growing demand, Brent has become a frequent presenter on panels and workshops in several states on a variety of topics. He is also a contributor to the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits and Tax Credit Tuesday podcast and leads professional development efforts on complex taxation concepts. Brent received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Southern California and is a certified public accountant in California.

Lamont Price

Breakout Session - Reimagining Opportunity Zones
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Innovation Director
Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

Lamont is the Innovation Director with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD).  TNECD is the arm of state government charged with business retention and recruitment, assisting communities in being prepared for economic development opportunities, managing state and federal programs that provide development resources, and forming strategic partnerships inside and outside state government. His focus is entrepreneurship and innovation.  He has experience with public-private venture capital programs, served on the entrepreneurship subcommittee of Tennessee’s Rural Task Force, and works on place based initiatives to assist small, rural, and distressed communities in economic and community growth.  He is the liaison for LaunchTN, a public-private entity focused on entrepreneurship, SBIR/STTR, and access to capital.  He also is working on Opportunity Zone related projects for the department and the Economic Gardening Pilot Program for small businesses.  
 Prior to joining TNECD, Lamont’s previous experience includes six years with the Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury as a performance auditor. As an auditor, Lamont assessed state agency statutory mandates, the efficiency and effectiveness of management’s organization and use of resources, recommendations for managerial or legislative action, and provided relevant programmatic and financial data.  He is a graduate of Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Healthcare Administration, with a minor in Business.

Laura Radcliff

Breakout Session - Making TIF Work: Financing Housing and Redevelopment
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Managing Director
Stifel Nicolaus & Company, Inc.

During her career, Ms Radcliff has served as investment banker on more than 300 bond issues with a total par amount in excess of $18 billion. Ms. Radcliff’s primary investment banking focus is on revenue bonds of public entities. Ms. Radcliff has served as investment banker for numerous development and redevelopment financings, including Public Improvement Districts, Tax Increment Finance Districts, Transportation Development Districts, Municipal Management Districts and Community Development Districts across the country. As lead investment banker for TIF projects, Ms. Radcliff has worked on transactions in Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.   Ms. Radcliff has lectured extensively on the topic of financing to a wide range of audiences, including the American Bar Association, the Council of Development Financing Agencies, CREW Network, the National Council for Public Private Partnerships, several individual state agencies and municipal organizations, and numerous real estate and economic development organizations. In 2010 at the invitation of the governments of Wellington, New Zealand and New South Wales, Australia, Ms. Radcliff led a series of Tax Increment Finance Master Classes for local government officials from throughout Australia and New Zealand and as they contemplated the adoption of TIF in their countries. Ms. Radcliff co-authored two CDFA publications on Tax Increment Finance, the Tax Increment Finance Best Practices Reference Guide and the Advanced Tax Increment Finance Reference Guide. She is a Member of the Board of the Downtown St. Louis Community Improvement District. Ms. Radcliff holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Planning from Michigan State University and earned a Masters of Public Affairs degree from Princeton University. Prior to becoming an investment banker in 1994, Ms. Radcliff worked in local government economic development.

Keenan Rice

Breakout Session - Knockout Strategies for Brownfield Redevelopment
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

President
MuniCap, Inc.

Mr. Rice has worked almost exclusively in the areas of public/private partnerships and tax increment financing for the last twenty-five years. As a result of his extensive experience in this field, he is recognized as one of the most experienced and knowledgeable professionals in the country in the field of tax increment financing. Mr. Rice has provided assistance on almost 300 tax increment financing projects nationwide.

Keenan Rice is the founder and president of MuniCap, Inc., a public finance consulting firm, with offices in Columbia, Maryland; Charleston, South Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; Dallas, Texas; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from which it works in more than thirty states across the country.

José Luis Rivera

Lunch Plenary - Incentivizing Private Capital for the Long Term
Thursday, October 9, 12:00 - 1:30 PM

Chief Economist
Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce

José Luis Rivera is an economist with a background in business and experience in economic development, strategic analysis, and federal program management. He currently serves as Chief Economist and Director of Economic Analysis and Business Intelligence at the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DEDC). Previously, he served as Deputy Director of the Economic Recovery Division for the CDBG-DR/MIT Program at the Puerto Rico Department of Housing, managing a portfolio of programs with over $1 billion in federal funds to boost economic activity in Puerto Rico. He also worked at the Orlando Economic Partnership, the leading organization responsible for promoting economic development in Central Florida, where he led efforts to attract investment and foster economic growth in the region. José Luis holds a master's degree in economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia, an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor from the University of Puerto Rico. He was President of the Puerto Rico Economist Association from 2021 to 2022 and currently serves as Board Member for the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

David Rogers

Breakout Session - Evolving Models for Financing Transportation and Capital Infrastructure Projects
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Partner
Retired - Formerly FBT Gibbons

David is a senior partner in the Columbus office of Frost Brown Todd LLC, a 500-lawyer firm located in 8 states, and is a member of its Public and Project Finance service team. His practice focuses on public finance, project finance, healthcare finance, structured finance, public-private partnerships (P3’s), alternative and advanced energy finance, and economic development.

As an Infrastructure Finance Expert he serves as bond counsel, structuring counsel, underwriter's counsel, developer's counsel or purchaser's counsel for both taxable and tax-exempt project financings, including public infrastructure, economic development and facilities finance for advanced energy, shopping centers, office buildings, stadiums, arenas and hotel facilities; as bond counsel, disclosure counsel and underwriter's counsel for both tax-exempt and taxable bonds and bond fund programs, including energy, housing, IDB, hospital, 501(c)(3), education and traditional issues, including P3’s and incentive programs for Ohio port authorities; and related taxable capital lease bond issues, credit tenant leases, securitizations, secondary market transactions and governmental synthetic leases. He led the Bond Counsel and Municipal Advisor teams that closed $68,670,000 par amount of tax-exempt bonds issued by the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to produce more than $74,500,000, monetizing the mobility and parking concession at the University of Toledo in 2021; and he led the teams drafting the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) statutes in Ohio and Kentucky, closing multiple projects thereunder.

David is also the past President of the FBT Project Finance Advisors LLC consulting group, an affiliate of Frost Brown Todd and was a registered municipal advisor with the SEC and MSRB. David and the members of his FBT Project Finance Advisors team have worked on project finance solutions for delivery and implementation of hundreds of infrastructure projects. They consulted on public and project finance projects, including design-build and DBFOM (design build finance operate and maintain) public-private partnerships utilizing availability payments, tolls, at-risk and other innovative delivery methods. 

David uses a comprehensive team approach in this work, helping clients from the earliest stages of each project through financing, construction, and project administration. He focuses on consulting governmental units and the private sector in the areas of infrastructure finance, economic development and redevelopment, real estate finance, healthcare finance, and public-private partnerships..

Austin Root

Breakout Session - After the Storm: How Cities Can Finance Their Recovery
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Principal
Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.

Austin Root is a principal in Miller Canfield's Public Finance Group. He serves as bond counsel and disclosure counsel to various governmental entities across Illinois, including school districts, cities, villages, counties, park districts, and special districts. Additionally, Austin acts as underwriter's counsel for multiple municipal bond underwriters. Austin's expertise encompasses a wide range of municipal finance transactions, including general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, special service area bonds, tax increment bonds, industrial development revenue bonds, and Section 501(c)(3) revenue bonds.

He also provides counsel to both public and private entities on municipal and state governmental matters, including tax increment financing, special service areas, contract procurement, and cannabis licensing. Austin holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, cum laude, from the University of South Carolina, with a major in finance and a minor in economics. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law, where he served as Managing Editor of the Illinois Business Law Journal and participated in the American Bar Association Negotiation Competition. Austin is licensed to practice law in Illinois. He is an active participant in professional organizations such as the National Association of Bond Lawyers and the Illinois Tax Increment Association.

David Safer

Breakout Session - Bridging the Finance Gaps to Address Abandonment — A Puerto Rico Spotlight
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Managing Director
U.S. Bank

David Safer joined U.S. Bank National Association in 2016 and is responsible for business development activities in the States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New England and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Prior to that, David spent 10 years at The Bank of New York Mellon in a similar capacity. Mr. Safer joined Manufacturers Hanover Trust in 1989 and through acquisitions, spent time with Chemical Bank, Chase Manhattan Bank and JP Morgan Chase. Mr. Safer held various positions including Regional Manager for the West and Northeast Regions of the Relationship Management Team, Team Leader of JPMorgan Chase’s Institutional Trust, Deal Services Negotiation Team, and Team Leader on the International & Project Finance Team, responsible for sovereign, corporate and municipal clients primarily located in the Asian, African and North American regions with a concentration in Power and Mining Project Finance transactions. David received his B.S. degree in Business Economics and Finance from the State University of New York at Oneonta.

Fariha Sheikh

Breakout Session - Lessons from Corridor Revitalization Projects
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

In Transition
NA

Fariha Sheikh is an Innovation Product Officer at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). Since joining NJEDA in 2022, she has led development and due diligence efforts for products that mobilize private investment into New Jersey’s innovation economy, including the Angel Match Program, a $20 million program designed to match direct investments in early-stage companies. She also supported the Authority’s crisis response during the regional banking collapse in early 2023.

Currently, Fariha is responsible for the development and execution of the AI Innovation Challenge Administration Grant Program, a $4 million initiative under Governor Murphy’s AI Moonshot, as well as the Net Operating Loss Program, a $75 million effort enabling companies to turn NOLs and R&D tax credits into capital. Fariha holds a BSc in Business Management and an MA in United Nations and Global Policy Studies from Rutgers University, where she focused on economic development and public-private partnerships.

James Snyder

Breakout Session - After the Storm: How Cities Can Finance Their Recovery
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

Senior Principal
Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.

Jim's primary practice concentration is municipal finance, with an emphasis on economic development transactions such as those involving tax-increment financing and public/private partnerships. Mr. Snyder is a frequent speaker on municipal finance issues that involve economic development.

He regularly serves as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, bond purchaser’s counsel and special counsel on a variety of public finance transactions, including general obligation financings, revenue obligations, special service area and special assessment financings, tax increment bond financing, industrial development revenue bonds, multifamily housing financings, solid waste disposal facility bonds, and Section 501(c)(3) revenue bond financings.

Janna Spruill

Breakout Session - Breaking Down Barriers: Funding Challenges in the U.S. Food System
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Associate Director of Foundation Programs
NASDA - National Association of State Departments of Agriculture

Janna Spruill joined NASDA in October 2021. Janna serves the NASDA Foundation as Associate Director for several federal projects, namely the USDA Northeast Regional Food Business Center cooperative agreement and the Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Access to Capital Program in conjunction with the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). Janna also oversaw the USDA-AMS Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) cooperative agreement which focused on providing GAP education and outreach to socially disadvantaged and historically underserved growers.

She was formerly a food regulator and compliance administrator with the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Food and Drug Protection Division. During that time, she conducted food safety inspections of low and high-risk manufacturers, managed the FDA Rapid Response Team grant, conducted shell egg inspections under FDA’s Egg Safety Rule, and lead industry and community outreach for shell egg and rabbit processing programs. Janna earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Poultry Science from North Carolina State University, with Spanish and Food Safety minors.

Brian Steinkamp

Breakout Session - Clean Energy Financing in a Changing Policy Landscape
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Chairman & Managing Member
HSI Solar

Brian Steinkamp currently serves as Chairman & Managing Member of HSI Solar, where he brings a unique blend of finance and legal acumen to drive the company’s strategic vision. In his role, he expertly navigates the complex intersection of financial structuring, legal compliance, and renewable energy project delivery, helping craft tailored, turnkey solutions that maximize both sustainability and financial return.
 
His legal experience includes specialized domestic and international tax, corporate, labor & employment, contracts, transfer pricing, and intellectual property. Since 2017, Brian has been consulting and working in the renewable energy industry helping clients convert under and non-performing real estate into renewable energy power generation systems that deliver accretive financial value.
 
Brian obtained a BSBA in Finance from Drake University prior to obtaining a Doctor of Juris Prudence Degree from the University of Iowa. His legal and financial expertise, combined with his leadership in the solar industry, positions him as a trusted advisor and advocate for advancing clean energy solutions. He sits on multiple boards, frequently speaks about the tax and financial aspects associated with renewable energy and energy conservation solutions, and has several publications in the renewable space, including financing. Brian and his wife Martha reside in Indianapolis, Indiana and are proud parents of four adult children.

Antonia Stinnett

Breakout Session - Underwriting in Times of Economic Change
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Program Manager
Grow America

Toni Stinnett is a Program Manager with Grow America. Toni has over a decade of experience in project management, community outreach, and urban planning. She currently manages a federally funded Community of Practice at Grow America, supporting more than 400 organizations in advancing economic growth in their communities. Her background spans business-to-business sales, small business support, and policy development, with a focus on equity, social justice, and place-based planning. She has a master’s in urban planning from the University of Washington. Outside of work, Toni is a Pilates instructor who enjoys building community both inside and outside the studio.

Andy Struckhoff

Breakout Session - After the Storm: How Cities Can Finance Their Recovery
Thursday, October 9, 1:30 - 2:30 PM

President
PGAV Planners, LLC

Andy Struckhoff is the President of PGAV Planners, LLC; a multi-disciplinary consulting firm. Headquartered in St. Louis, MO with offices in Kansas City and Orlando, our team works with communities, developers, economic development and finance agencies to develop actionable strategies to solve planning and development challenges. We help communities solidify their vision for the future and we help them figure out how to bring it to life, which means figuring out how to pay for it, which means, more often than not, putting local incentive mechanisms to work and structuring public-private partnerships.

Betsey Suchanic

Breakout Session - Knockout Strategies for Brownfield Redevelopment
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM

Environmental Training Specialist
Grow America

Alan Taveras

Welcome to Puerto Rico - A Blueprint for Resilient and Inclusive Development
Thursday, October 9, 9:00 - 9:45 AM

Business Development Director
InvestPR

Alan Taveras was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on June 17, 1987. He graduated from the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón with a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and holds an MBA with a concentration in Information Systems Management from the University of Palermo in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Throughout his career, he has co-founded several companies, including Très Epic, a digital production boutique; Brands Of, an e-commerce platform for local brands; and Zama Ventures, the parent company of the clothing brand Vitola Caribe. Thanks to these initiatives, he has participated in acceleration programs such as MassChallenge Texas, Enterprize by Grupo Guayacán, Parallel 18, 10,000 Small Businesses by Goldman Sachs, and GBEL by Georgetown University.

Currently, he is the President-elect of the Centro Unido de Detallistas and plays an active role in Puerto Rico’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as a mentor and professor at the Universidad del Sagrado Corazón. In his main professional role, he serves as Director of Business Development at Invest Puerto Rico, where he drives investment attraction and economic growth for the island.

David Teed

Breakout Session - Evolving Models for Financing Transportation and Capital Infrastructure Projects
Thursday, October 9, 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Partner
Diogenes Capital

David Teed is Managing Partner of Diogenes Capital.

Diogenes Capital is a sponsor of concession-based infrastructure transactions and public private partnerships (P3s).

David was previously an Operating Partner with Oaktree Capital Transportation Infrastructure Fund, focused on investing in essential North American transportation infrastructure including airports, seaports, rail and road and related assets.

Prior to Oaktree Capital he was with the QIC Global Infrastructure Group (QIC) investing in Transportation, Energy and Social infrastructure.

Jonathan Tower

Breakout Session - Reimagining Opportunity Zones
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Founder and CEO
Arctaris Impact Investors, LLC

Jonathan is Founder and CEO of Arctaris Impact Investors, the largest impact-focused manager of Opportunity Zone funds nationally. He manages the Arctaris family of funds, 8 funds in total, investing in private equity, infrastructure and community-centric real estate in underserved areas. Mr. Tower invests in growth-oriented businesses in the manufacturing, technology, and services industries with heavy emphasis on underserved and underrepresented banking markets.

Mr. Tower has 20+ years of industry experience, investing in private equity and private debt, including three interim Chief Executive Officer roles in private equity-backed companies. He has worked closely with portfolio companies in the manufacturing, technology, and services industries to achieve their growth objectives, including Capterra (acquired by Gartner), Verid (acquired by EMC), QuoteShip (acquired by ICGE), Moguldom Media (acquired by Interactive One), and Xoom (IPO: XOOM).

Prior to co-founding Arctaris in 2009, Mr. Tower was a Managing Director, Operating Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Dutchess Capital, LLC. He held responsibilities both in private equity deal execution and maximizing value in portfolio companies, working with management teams to develop growth or turnaround strategies.

At Fidelity Ventures, he executed private equity and venture capital investments, focusing on the enterprise technology, security and communications sectors, including the firm’s investment in Xoom, which held an initial public offering and was acquired by Pay Pal for more than $1 billion.

At IBM, Mr. Tower was a member of the Corporate Venture Capital, Mergers & Acquisitions and Debt Capital Markets groups, where he facilitated the issuance of more than $2 billion in term debt, launched the company’s credit hedging program, managed $250 million of A/R factoring transactions, led venture investments in five expansion-stage technology businesses, and supported two business units in divestitures that generated $300 million in profit.

Prior thereto, Mr. Tower was a Co-Founder of Vodium.com, which was acquired by Vcall.com. From 1996 to 1999, he was a Financial Journalist at Bloomberg News. Mr. Tower has published articles on corporate finance, derivatives and risk management in Bloomberg News, Bloomberg Magazine, International Herald Tribune, and the New York Times.
Mr. Tower received an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2002 and BA in English and Mathematics from Georgetown University in 1996.

Ernesto Villarini

Lunch Plenary - Incentivizing Private Capital for the Long Term
Thursday, October 9, 12:00 - 1:30 PM

Breakout Session - Empowering Capital: Fund of Funds & Revolving Loan Funds
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Managing Director
Community Development Venture Capital Alliance

Dr. Ernesto Villarini-Baquero is Managing Director of the Community Venture Capital Alliance (CDVCA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to venture and private capital investing for community and economic development. He leads CDVCA’s Puerto Rico office, co-manages the $45 million Puerto Rico Fund for Growth, directs the $5.5M Unlock Capital investment readiness program, and engages in advocacy efforts and field building activities. He is a member of CDVCA’s investment committee and conducts research related to venture capital and economic development.

Dr. Villarini-Baquero has more than 20 years of experience in executive management, entrepreneurship, and corporate governance. His previous professional engagements include financial and investment advisory services, community and economic development endeavors, and consulting in strategic planning, financing and the development of social enterprises and entrepreneurial nonprofit organizations. Dr. Villarini-Baquero holds  Master’s and Doctoral degrees in business administration and Bachelor’s in biology. He volunteers as treasurer of the Puerto Rico Model Forest and the ChangeMaker Foundation.

Kip Wahlers

Breakout Session - Islands of Impact: Deploying NMTCs Where They Matter Most
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Partner
Ice Miller LLP

Kip Wahlers has more than two decades' experience in the field of public finance, economic development and public law. Kip has represented state and local governments at all levels as bond counsel and has also served as underwriters' counsel, bank counsel and counsel to private sector entities doing business with government.

Kip's experience includes financings and projects with port authorities, counties, municipalities, townships and school districts. Kip also advises clients on public records issues and ethics issues.

Kip has authored legislation relating to financing programs in Ohio and elsewhere, including tax credits, loan programs and amendments to legislation establishing new community authorities and authority for impact facilities. He has assisted private companies in obtaining incentives from state and local governments, including tax incentives, tax abatements and tax increment financing.

Cody West

Breakout Session - Reimagining Opportunity Zones
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Vice President
CapZone Impact Investments

Cody West is a Vice President at CapZone. Cody supports the CapZone investment team with transaction strategy, sourcing, due diligence and execution, as well as monitoring of CapZone’s portfolio companies.

Introduced to Opportunity Zones in 2019 as a summer analyst with Bank of America-Merrill Lynch, Cody realized he wanted to dedicate his professional career to bringing Opportunity Zone investments to scale for underrepresented communities. Prior to joining CapZone, Cody’s professional experience includes working as a corporate tax attorney for a billion-dollar, publicly traded corporation. In this role, he advised C-Suite Executives on federal and state tax credits. 

Ryan Whitaker

Breakout Session - Reimagining Opportunity Zones
Thursday, October 9, 3:00 - 4:00 PM

Partner
FBT Gibbons

Ryan focuses his practice on tax, real estate and corporate law. In his tax practice, Ryan works on federal, state, and local tax planning and controversy matters, including tax-free corporate reorganizations and divestitures, development projects under the Qualified Opportunity Zone program, tax audits, appeals, and tax court litigation, and complex tax-deferred real estate exchanges under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code.

In his real estate practice, Ryan represents property owners, developers, and investors on a broad range of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, divestitures, development, and leasing matters. In his corporate practice, Ryan counsels privately-held businesses on issues involving commercial contract drafting and negotiation, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, shareholder agreements, and succession planning.

Fawn Zimmerman

Breakout Session - Breaking Down Barriers: Funding Challenges in the U.S. Food System
Thursday, October 9, 11:00 - 12:00 PM


Fawn Zimmerman is Managing Director of CDFA Advisory Services at the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). In her role, Fawn assists development finance agencies nationwide with strategic planning, finance program development, grant writing assistance, and development finance education and training. She also leads initiatives to enhance capital access for underserved communities. Fawn oversees programming aimed at increasing funding for underserved small businesses and developing culturally relevant programs to boost investment in underserved farmers and ranchers.

Fawn holds a Bachelor of Arts with honors in Communication from The Ohio State University and has pursued postgraduate studies at Ohio University. Her career is deeply intertwined with her philanthropic goals, and she is committed to leveraging her creative, academic, and professional experiences to drive positive changes in the development finance sector.