Brett Doney

Understanding and Designing a Revolving Loan Fund
Friday, August 28, 11:10 - 12:35 PM

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.

Zack Folk

RLF Management, Marketing, and Operations
Friday, August 28, 12:45 - 1:45 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.​

Mary Louk

RLF Process, Pre- and Post-Loan Closing and Managing Non-performing Loans
Friday, August 28, 1:45 - 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.

Leopoldo Peña

Innovative RLFs
Friday, August 28, 4:10 - 4:55 PM

Co-Founder
Presta

Leo’s previous experience has been centered around GovTech — most recently focused on expanding access to voting. He helped launch a mobile voting platform designed to securely cast votes in elections across the globe, allowing members of the US military to participate in general and midterm elections while serving abroad. Currently in Cleveland, Ohio, Leo holds a Bachelor’s of Science from Cornell University and is an alumnus of the Venture for America Fellowship.