CDFA Training Institute Faculty

CDFA Training Institute faculty are experienced development finance professionals who bring real-world expertise into the classroom. Faculty members include practitioners, advisors, attorneys, public officials, consultants, and industry leaders committed to advancing the development finance field through applied professional education.

CDFA faculty lead courses designed to provide participants with immediately applicable tools, strategies, and industry insight across a wide range of development finance topics.

All CDFA Faculty

	Monica Blanton Vice President Brightbridge Inc Monica Blanton lives in Chattanooga and currently leads the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) division for BrightBridge Capital. Since 2005, Monica has worked in all aspects of NMTC operations and plays a key role in BridgeBridge’s success in being awarded $300 million in NMTC allocations to date. She was also instrumental in... the CDFI certification process and business expansion, which has resulted in raising $150 million of capital. She leads engagement of BrightBridge’s Advisory Board and oversees internal policy development and implementation for investor and regulatory reporting for BrightBridge’s NMTC and CDFI programs. In addition to closing financing using Brightbridge’s NMTC allocation into projects that positively impact their local community, Monica and her team provide consulting services to assist projects with obtaining NMTC financing from other CDEs. (Closing approximately $150 million to date.) She also shares awareness and knowledge of the NMTC financing tool through individual and group presentations. Monica’s professional experience includes eight years as a CPA with international firms in the area of assurance services. She then used her skills to provide management and supervisory consulting services in the areas of general business, financial systems, policies and procedures, financial reporting, and analytical analysis to a variety of businesses. Outside of work, Monica loves nothing more than spending time with family, including her children and all the family pets. She enjoys outdoor activities, including gardening, hiking, and pickleball! As an alumnus of the University of TN – Knoxville, Monica enjoys supporting and following the Vols athletics. (More)
	Dan Bronfman Managing Director, Affordable Housing & Community Development Lending Banc of California Dan Bronfman is a Managing Director with Los Angeles-based Banc of California. Dan joined the bank in 2017 and focuses on delivering tax-exempt and taxable lending products to developers of affordable housing projects, nonprofit organizations and businesses involved in manufacturing, recycling and value-added processing... activities. He has over 30 years of experience in banking, investment banking, financial management and consulting, and has facilitated the issuance of over $4.0 billion in financings, with transactions ranging in size from $2.0 million to over $60.0 million. Dan was President and founder of Growth Capital Associates, Inc., an advisory firm specializing in structuring tax-exempt financings for nonprofit organizations and other types of conduit borrowers. Prior to founding Growth Capital, he was Director of Finance for Gruma Corporation, parent of the leading tortilla maker Mission Foods, and served as a vice president with US Bank. He received an MBA in finance from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles and a BA in economics from Sonoma State University. He is Trustee Emeritus of the California State University Board of Trustees. (More)
	Caitlyn Burchfield Partner Butler Snow LLP Caitlyn Burchfield is a partner at Butler Snow LLP, where she has worked since September 2014. Caitlyn is a summa cum laude graduate of the Honors program at the University of Alabama, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi, and is a 2014 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law. Caitlyn... works in the Public Finance Group of Butler Snow and is admitted to the State Bars of Alabama and Mississippi, the U.S. District Courts for all Districts of Alabama and Mississippi, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Caitlyn has experience with various types of tax-exempt and taxable debt, including direct bank placements, public market offerings, tax anticipation warrants, USDA financings, prepay energy deals, and refundings of prior issuances. Caitlyn’s representative projects span the U.S., with a particular focus on the Southeast. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the National Association of Bond Lawyers, and Women in Public Finance (Alabama chapter). Caitlyn’s work has been recognized by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 US, and The Best Lawyers in America®. Last year, Caitlyn was named to Business Alabama’s “2025 Legal Elite” list. (More)
	Matt Calcavecchia Vice President Public Facilities Group Matt is a Vice President at Public Facilities Group. He has over 15 years of experience in P3 and has served in a variety of roles from asset management duties, promotion, marketing, project management and strategic planning.   Matt has been with Public Facilities Group since its founding in 2016.  Before that, Matt worked... for the National Development Council, now named Grow America. He has experience in a variety of products and services, including low-income housing, New Markets Tax Credits, small business lending and Public-Private Partnerships. Matt served on Grow America’s Public-Private partnership team where he was focused on outreach and education. He also helped to create and implement strategies for advocating for Public-Private Partnerships at the federal level. (More)
	James Carras Principal Carras Community Investment, Inc. James Carras is a Lecturer at Harvard University, where he has taught for the past 11 years at the Harvard Kennedy School, the Graduate School of Design, and the Harvard Extension School, focusing on urban policy, equitable development finance, and community economic development. He previously served as a Fellow at... Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative and is currently an Affiliated Faculty member at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. For more than 30 years, James has advised mission-driven organizations, government agencies, financial institutions, and developers on capital access strategies and community development finance. Through his firm, Carras Community Investment, Inc., he has helped create and capitalize over fifty community development corporations (CDCs), community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and public–private partnership initiatives nationwide. His current advisory work centers on expanding capital access for community and economic development, including strategic deployment of New Markets Tax Credits, Opportunity Zones, CDFI Fund programs, and Community Reinvestment Act resources. James is the author of numerous studies on affordable housing, equitable development, and revitalization. He previously served as Founding Executive Director of the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders, Founding President of the Broward Housing Partnership and the South Florida Community Land Trust, Community Development Advisor to the Mayor of Boston, and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Urban Reinvestment Advisory Group, where he was awarded the John Hay Whitney Fellowship. He is widely recognized as a national expert in development finance and capital ecosystem design. (More)

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Why Serve as CDFA Faculty?

Serving as CDFA faculty offers opportunities to:

• Share expertise with a national audience of development finance professionals
• Build visibility within the industry
• Connect with CDFA members, partners, and practitioners
• Be featured on the CDFA website and course materials
• Participate in future teaching and speaking opportunities

Faculty positions are invite-only and intended for experienced professionals with demonstrated subject-matter expertise and practical field experience.

Interested in Becoming Faculty?

CDFA welcomes interest from experienced professionals who are passionate about development finance and practitioner-focused education. Prospective faculty may initially participate as guest speakers as part of the faculty evaluation and selection process.

Interested individuals are encouraged to review the Faculty Policy & Agreement and contact the CDFA Training Institute team for consideration.

Read the Faculty Policy
Contact the Training Institute Team