Steve Boice

When the Deal Goes Bad
Tuesday, May 13, 3:00 - 3:45 PM

Manager- Business Finance
Colorado Housing and Finance Authority

Steve Boice has over 18 years of experience working in the commercial loan, economic development, and banking industry. As the Manager of Business Finance at CHFA, Mr. Boice leads a team of commercial loan officers that provide over $100M a year through its various loan and economic development programs to small businesses and non-profit organizations.

Mr. Boice has experience with providing both permanent and construction loans on commercial, residential, and affordable projects, as well as lending on New Markets Tax Credits, Industrial Development Bonds, and Brownfields projects. In addition, he has experience in portfolio and credit risk management, as well as underwriting complex multifamily loan transactions involving historic and affordable housing tax credits, HUD risk share insurance, and FFB.

Mr. Boice is currently a Board Member of the Economic Development Council of Colorado as well as a former member of the B-Side Capital SBA 504 Loan Committee. He is also a Board Emeritus member of Think 360 Arts for Learning.

Lori DeWine

Welcome and Overview
Monday, May 12, 12:00 - 12:15 PM

Managing Director
Council of Development Finance Agencies

Lori DeWine is Managing Director of the Knowledge & Networks Division at the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) where she oversees the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI), Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, and Revolving Loan Fund programs. With over 20 years of experience in education, affordable housing, and finance, Lori brings a wealth of expertise to her role.

Before joining CDFA, Lori served as Vice President at a nationwide mortgage company and as Chief Operating Officer of a local credit union. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Education and Adult Learning. In addition to her professional responsibilities, Lori enjoys teaching as an adjunct faculty member at Sinclair Community College.

Brett Doney

Designing Your RLF
Monday, May 12, 1:15 - 3:00 PM

President & Chief Executive Officer
Great Falls Development Authority

Brett Doney leads the Great Falls Development Authority, a public/private economic development partnership serving the 12-county Great Falls Montana trade area. Doney has over 30 years of experience in urban and rural community economic development. Prior positions include: President/CEO of Enterprise Maine, a family of community economic development organizations dedicated to creating economic opportunity and enhancing the quality of life in rural western Maine; Director of the Ft. Devens Reuse Center, a 9,600 acre army base redevelopment planning effort in Massachusetts; and, President of 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 awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration, the American Economic Development Council, the International Economic Development Council, the National Association of Development Organizations, the Finance Authority of Maine, the Montana Economic Developers Association, and the National Brownfield Conference. 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), RMA Credit Risk Certification, Federal Grants Management, and Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP). He is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute of the University of Oklahoma. Doney earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California at Santa Barbara and a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Doney has taught, given presentations, and served on technical advisory teams for a variety of state, national and international economic development and industry organizations. He currently serves on the boards of the Montana Economic Developers Association, the Great Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau (Chair), the Downtown Development Partnership of Great Falls (Chair), and the Upper Missouri River Heritage Area Planning Corporation. He serves on the International Economic Development Council’s Accreditation and Public Policy Advisory Committees, as the Montana Government Relations Chair for the International Council of Shopping Centers, and on the McLaughlin Research Institute’s National Development Council. He is an active Rotarian and past President of the Great Falls Rotary Club.

Jennifer Emens-Butler Esq.

Pre- and Post-Loan Closing
Tuesday, May 13, 2:00 - 3:00 PM

General Counsel and Director of Closing
Vermont Economic Development Authority

Jennifer Emens-Butler is the General Counsel and Director of Closing for the Vermont Economic Development Authority in Montpelier. In her role, she supervises the loan closing team and oversees all loan closings, reviewing documentation for compliance with laws, policies and procedures.  She also advises the management team and staff with respect to legal issues.

Zack Folk

RLF Management
Monday, May 12, 3:15 - 4:15 PM

Business Development Officer
St. Louis Economic Development Partnership

Zack has worked at the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership starting in 2016, where he first worked in Business Development working with state and local incentive programs. Zack moved to Business Finance department in 2017, where he began as a Credit Analyst and was responsible for underwriting all SBA 504 and revolving loan fund program applications for the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. Currently, he now serves as a Business Development Officer and assists in all parts of the loan application process from origination to funding. He also serves as the Vice President of the Industrial Development Authority of St. Louis County in issuing industrial revenue bonds for large projects. Zack graduated from the University of Missouri with degrees in Economics, Political Science, and International Studies, and he recently earned his MBA at Saint Louis University. In his free time, Zack is a member of the St. Louis Curling Club.​

Matt Knutson

Designing Your RLF
Monday, May 12, 1:15 - 3:00 PM

Acting RLF Coordinator
U.S. Economic Development Administration

Matt Knutson is currently a Program Analyst with the Revolving Loan Fund at the Economic Development Administration. Through this role, Matt works with EDA’s regional offices to improve lending in distressed communities and for businesses that cannot access traditional sources of credit with the RLF Community of Practice and numerous technical assistance awards to improve RLF operations and lending strategy. Prior to his current position, Matt served as a budget analyst at the Department of Labor, and as a financial analyst developing small business lending policy at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He received his Master’s degree from Indiana University’s O’Neill School with concentrations in Public Finance and Economic Development and resides in Washington, DC.

Joy Melton

Marketing Your RLF Program
Monday, May 12, 4:15 - 5:00 PM

Business Development Specialist/Loan Fund Manager
Northwest Regional Planning Commission

Joy Melton is the Loan Fund Manager at Northwest Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission in Spooner, WI. Joy has been involved with small business and economic development since 2021. During this time, she has consulted businesses and individuals to start up, expand or grow. Melton builds operational strategy through her ability to help business owners and entrepreneurs answer tough questions and map out a road to success though mission focused business planning, marketing strategy and strategic visioning. Melton earned her bachelor’s degrees from Corinth College in both Business Administration and Computer Science. She brings a vast working knowledge of strategy and development for private and nonprofit organizations. Melton has held a variety of positions including assisting in business start-ups, loan administration, economic development director, nonprofit board member, and sales representative. Melton has a strong passion to see small business owners achieve success through strategic goal setting, appropriate fund management, and connecting the right resources to help strengthen the small business economy.

Lina Moeller

Designing Your RLF
Monday, May 12, 1:15 - 3:00 PM

Loan Origination Manager
IBank

Lina Moeller is the Loan Origination Manager for the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank (IBank) and manages the Infrastructure State Revolving Fund (ISRF) Program, a direct loan program.

Lina joined IBank in January of 2016, and is responsible for managing and directing all credit and loan underwriting activities for the Loan Origination Unit.  Lina conducts extensive outreach at conferences and expos, speaking and presenting on behalf of IBank at various events including California Financing Coordinating Committee (CFCC) events.

Lina has been in the lending industry for more than 28 years. Lina started her career working as a credit analyst and underwriter at Community Bank before joining Bank of America and holding positions from credit analyst, portfolio manager, SBA underwriter, commercial underwriter, and approval officer. Lina also worked as an SBA underwriter at Resource Capital CDC. Prior to joining IBank she was Vice President of Lending at Vision One Credit Union.

Lina holds a Master’s Degree in Management from Wright State University, and a Graduate Finance Certification from Southern Methodist University.

Thomas Schnell

The Decision Process
Tuesday, May 13, 12:15 - 1:45 PM

Team Lead & Finance Officer
Business Oregon

Tom currently serves as a Finance Officer and Team Lead for Business Oregon, the State of Oregon’s economic development agency. In this position he works to develop economic vitality for Oregon businesses through public-private partnerships and leveraged funding opportunities for companies and entrepreneurs.

Tom has over 35 years in finance, 25 of which were in commercial banking. He has been involved in both debt and equity financing. His experience ranges from serving small start-up companies to large corporations. He has experience in agricultural, real estate, asset based, equipment, line of credit and royalty-based financing. In addition to loan production, he managed several commercial banking centers and served as a loan workout specialist. Tom has served on numerous boards and committees during his career. He currently serves on the St. Charles Hospital Authority Board and is a board member on the Risk Management Association (RMA) for Central Oregon, a member organization for the finance industry. He is a past instructor at the Northwest Economic Development Course.

Tom is a graduate of Oregon State University where he studied Finance and General Behavioral Science. Tom obtained an international business degree from the Aarhus School of Business in Denmark and his graduate degree from Pacific Coast Banking School.

Shelly Scinto

The Decision Process
Tuesday, May 13, 12:15 - 1:45 PM

Of Counsel
Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, P.L.C.

Shelly Scinto is an attorney in Miller Canfield's Public Finance Group where she serves as bond counsel for municipal issuers throughout Illinois, including school districts, park districts, cities, villages, and various other entities. Shelly drafts and reviews key bond documents such as purchase contracts, official statements, offering circulars, tax certificates, ordinances, resolutions and closing certificates. She ensures compliance with federal securities and tax law, along with other contractual, federal, and state law requirements related to financings.

Shelly’s expertise encompasses a wide range of municipal finance transactions, including general obligation bonds, alternate revenue bonds, revenue bonds, water and sewer revenue bonds, debt certificates and bonds authorized via referendum. To date, Shelly has served as lead counsel on more than 375 municipal bond transactions, overseeing both long-term and short-term tax exempt and taxable financings.

Shelly earned her B.A. in Psychology and Business from Eastern Illinois University, and her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law. She is admitted to practice law in Illinois. Active in several professional organizations, Shelly is a member of the Illinois Association of School Boards Service Associates, Illinois Association of School Business Officials, Illinois State Bar Association's Local Government Law Section Council, Chicago Bar Association, Illinois Association of Park Districts, National Association of Bond Lawyers, and Women in Public Finance. Beyond her professional work, Shelly is involved in her community. She serves as Vice President of the Route 66 Association of Illinois and is a member of the Illinois Route 66 Preservation Committee. She is a recognized speaker on public finance topics and has published articles in notable publications such as the Illinois State Bar Association and the Daily Herald.

Peter Truog

Pre- and Post-Loan Closing
Tuesday, May 13, 2:00 - 3:00 PM

Innovative RLFs
Tuesday, May 13, 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Co-Founder
Presta

After working in management consulting, Peter moved to Northeast Ohio to work in community and economic development, and later launched The Opportunity Exchange. He has contributed to the US Impact Investing Alliance's OZ Impact Reporting Framework, co-authored a paper on green energy in Opportunity Zones, and written for the Brookings institution.

Fawn Zimmerman

Understanding Revolving Loan Funds
Monday, May 12, 12:15 - 1:15 PM

Managing Director, CDFA Advisory Services
Council of Development Finance Agencies

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.