CDFA is managed by a professional staff headquartered in Columbus, OH. The staff and various advisors carry out the day-to-day administration of the Council. To contact a member of the staff or an advisor, use the following information.
Council of Development Finance Agencies
100 E. Broad Street, Suite 1200
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 614-705-1300
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Toby Rittner
President & CEO
614-705-1300
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Toby Rittner is the President & CEO of Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). CDFA is a national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests. CDFA is comprised of the nation’s leading and most knowledgeable members of the development finance community representing ... hundreds of public, private and non-profit development entities. Members are state, county and municipal development finance agencies and authorities that provide or otherwise support economic development financing programs. Mr. Rittner runs the day-to-day operations of the Council, which includes management of a 32-member Board of Directors, and the organization’s various educational, advocacy, research, resources and networking initiatives.
Rittner is a frequent speaker at local, state and national conferences and events focused on economic development finance. He has been featured extensively in The Bond Buyer, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, NPR and other national media publications concerning the advancement of development finance tools. He is the author of CDFA's highly acclaimed Practitioner's Guide to Economic Development Finance and an adjunct faculty member at The Ohio State University and Carnegie Mellon University teaching planning for sustainable economic development finance.
Rittner is a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) through CDFA and is a Certified Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) through the National Development Council (NDC). Rittner has also advised state and federal government leaders, including President Obama’s Administration Transition Team, on economic development finance policy.
Prior to joining CDFA, Mr. Rittner was the Director of Legislative Affairs and former Director of Training for the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Mr. Rittner has also worked for the Franklin County, Ohio Board of Commissioners, Community and Economic Development Department as a Senior Program Coordinator for Economic Development and as an Associate Planner for the City of Gahanna, Ohio.
Mr. Rittner previously served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board. He is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Community Fund I, LLC and is also a member of the Advisory Board for Heritage Ohio. Mr. Rittner holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master's of City and Regional Planning degree from The Ohio State University. Mr. Rittner was awarded the Ohio State College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2016. (More)
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Katie Kramer
Vice President
614-705-1316
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Katie Kramer is Vice President at the Council of Development Finance Agencies and has been with CDFA since 2005. She is an accomplished non-profit executive with expertise in fundraising, grant writing, operations, and building organizational capacity. In her role at CDFA, she leads a team of 5 focused on curriculum and ... business development, online and in-person training, and creating strategic partnerships with foundations, federal agencies, and other industry non-profits aimed at growing the professional acumen of CDFA members and the development finance industry at-large.
Ms. Kramer interacts with thousands of development finance practitioners each year, guiding them through their professional development and understanding of the diversity of development finance programs. She has developed numerous courses in the CDFA Training Institute, edited several CDFA publications, and designed marketing and communications collateral for the association. Her writing has been featured in publications and reports on development finance, including those commissioned by The Kresge Foundation, World Bank, U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. Department of Agriculture. She regularly speaks about development finance at national and local conferences and is a guest lecturer at The Ohio State University.
Previously, Ms. Kramer served as CDFA’s Director of Education & Programs and Development Director. Before joining CDFA, Ms. Kramer worked in the Assessment Division at Ballard & Tighe, Publishers as Project Coordinator where she managed projects involved with the development of standardized language tests. Prior to Ballard & Tighe, Ms. Kramer was employed by Scripps College as Assistant Director of the Annual Fund where she organized fundraising campaigns for alumnae, parents, and students. She studied art history at Scripps College and holds a BA in English with honors from Cleveland State University.
Ms. Kramer serves as a board member for the Ohio Statewide Development Corporation and Innovate, Inc., and is a member of the Education Committee for Ohio Women in Public Finance. (More)
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Kimberly Deardurff
Director of Development
614-705-1302
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Kimberly Deardurff is Director of Development for the Council of Development Finance Agencies and has been with CDFA since fall of 2012. Mrs. Deardurff spearheads the development efforts of CDFA and is responsible for planning, organizing and directing all of CDFA’s sponsorship and membership efforts. Additionally, she ... oversee all logistics for the National Development Finance Summit and special partnership campaigns. She is responsible for research assistance as it relates to corporate cultivation and managing both international contacts and CDFA committees.
Before joining CDFA, Mrs. Deardurff worked at Netjets Inc. as an Owner Services Manger where she did logistical planning for all owner flights. Prior to Netjets, Mrs. Deardurff was employed by Aramark as Sales Manager at the Greater Columbus Convention Center where she helped to plan all events held in the venue. She has a Bachelor’s of Science Business Administration in International Business from Ohio Northern University. (More)
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Emily Moser
Program Manager
614-705-1305
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Emily is a Program Manager for the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). She manages CDFA's Brownfields Technical Assistance Program, which provides financing technical assistance to brownfield redevelopment projects. The program offers free online resources via the Brownfields Financing Toolkit, a Brownfields ... Financing Webinar Series, and a monthly newsletter. Technical Assistance opportunities include the Brownfields Project Marketplace and on-site technical assistance offered via Project Response Teams.
Prior to joining CDFA, Emily worked for Homeport, a non-profit housing developer, where she managed the redevelopment of single family housing for a neighborhood revitalization project. Emily has a Master's Degree in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University, and a Bachelor's Degree in English from Hillsdale College. (More)
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Averi Cragel
State Programs Manager
614-705-1319
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Averi Cragel is the Manager of State Programs Outreach for the Council of Development Finance Agencies and has been with CDFA since October 2015. Ms. Cragel is responsible for managing state roundtable initiatives including building state networks, planning and executing conferences and webcasts, conducting advisory ... committee meetings, assisting with newsletters, recruiting speakers for various events and developing program content.
Ms. Cragel has a Bachelor’s Degree in Environment and Natural Resources from the Ohio State University. (More)
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Tim Fisher
Legislative and Federal Affairs Coordinator
614-705-1309
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As the Legislative & Federal Affairs Coordinator, Mr. Fisher is focused on advancing development finance policy interests at the state and national level, as well as defending the interests of CDFA members on Capitol Hill. Fisher leads and advocates for members of the State Small Business Credit Initiative Coalition, as ... well the 24 cities that comprise the Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership. He also coordinates CDFA research on microfinance and impact investing. Prior to joining CDFA, Fisher worked for the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission, where, under the direction of the Commission’s Public Policy officer, he authored reports on topics ranging from the state of Latino small business ownership in Ohio, to the cultural responsiveness of Ohio’s public institutions. Tim is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and his master’s degree in Latin American Studies. (More)
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Candace Frank
Membership Coordinator
614-705-1300
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Mrs. Frank runs the day-to-day operations of membership at the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), which includes recruiting new members, retaining current members, maintaining the electronic member databases and coordinating general membership development activities, building membership outreach and benefits ... offerings, producing membership resources and engaging members in ongoing development of the organization, coordinating member benefit offerings with selected outside vendors and partners, collaborating with the CDFA team to create membership documents, letters, brochures, and other collateral materials, overseeing CDFA’s contact database system including processing records, updates, and assisting members with access to their online accounts and addressing member inquiries, following up with payments, organizing meetings and other duties and special projects as assigned by the President and CEO.
Prior to joining CDFA, Mrs. Frank worked with Ohio Job and Family Services for five years providing services to families who needed a loved one cared for that dealt with a disability on a day to day basis.
Mrs. Frank holds certification in Engineering Design from North State College and a Bachelor of Science degree in City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University. (More)
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Peter Mathews
Manager, Research & Resources
614-705-1307
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Pete Mathews is the Manager of Research & Resources at the Council of Development Finance Agencies. He manages CDFA’s online resource database and daily news headlines together with publishing industry focused newsletters, including Development Finance Review Weekly. Pete performs research and provides support for CDFA's ... technical and advisory service projects. Past projects he has worked on include Small and Micro Business Lending Program Report for Commerce Rhode Island, Benchmarking State Business Capital Programs for Business Oregon, and CDFA's own Annual Volume Cap Report: An Analysis of Private Activity Bond & Volume Cap Trends.
In addition to his position as Manager, Pete has served as the Course Advisor for the CDFA Intro Energy Finance Course providing knowledge, leadership, and direction for CDFA's Training Institute. Formally, he was a research intern at CDFA. Pete holds a Bachelor of Science in City and Regional Planning along with a minor in economics from The Ohio State University. (More)
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Cayla Matsumoto
Director, Education
614-705-1318
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Cayla is the Director of Education at the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) where she oversees the CDFA Training Institute, workshops, seminars, and online training. Cayla also manages the Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program working with participants to guide them in completing their DFCP ... certification.
Cayla previously served as a state programs manager, administering the state-specific programming for the southern states in the CDFA network. This included all annual conferences, networking events and webinars. She was instrumental in building new state networks and expanding the Southern region’s reach to include six states.
Her experience prior to CDFA included work as the assistant director of development at After-School All-Stars Ohio, a state-wide after-school programming non-profit where she worked as a grant writer, managed donations, and facilitated relationships with donors. She also served in Ukraine with the U.S. Peace Corps as an educator where she concentrated on leadership and citizenship skills with kids grades 5-10.
Cayla earned her bachelors from Miami University of Oxford, Ohio in the School of Interdisciplinary Studies where she studied the intersection of political science, anthropology, art history and international studies. (More)
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Blake Williams
Program Coordinator
614-705-1306
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As the Brownfields Program Coordinator, Mr. Williams is focused on expanding CDFA’s various activities related to brownfields finance programming and technical assistance. This includes the development of online resources and educational content, organizing national meetings of public- and private-sector industry ... stakeholders, conducting extensive outreach and marketing efforts, and coordinating on-site technical assistance teams in communities throughout the country.
Previously Blake Williams worked as a Program Manager for the Community Ambassador/ Commuter Liaison Programs at The Ohio State University’s Office of Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services. Blake is a graduate of The Ohio State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in City and Regional Planning. (More)
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Katie Williams
States Program Manager
614-705-1310
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Ms. Williams is responsible for CDFA’s activities to build strong state relationships and programming. This includes managing a select number of the Council’s State Roundtable, a specialized initiative aimed at building strong state and local networks of stakeholders through education, research, reporting, engagement and ... technical assistance. Ms. Williams is responsible for working with fellow CDFA team members to build these networks and execute events, conduct meetings, manage event logistics, publish newsletters, manage web content, recruit speakers, organize advisory committees and other tasks.
Prior to joining CDFA, Ms. Williams worked in early childhood development for five years teaching preschool and nannying.
Ms. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Child & Family Studies from Ohio University, and she is nearly complete with her Masters in Human Services. (More)
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Harrison Allen
Research and Resources Coordinator
614-705-1315
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Harry Allen is a Research and Resources Coordinator for the Council of Development finance Agencies and joined CDFA in July, 2016. He graduated from The Ohio State University in 2017 where he earned his bachelor’s degree in City and Regional Planning. The primary focus of his studies was Economic Development and Local ... Government. Harry is responsible for researching economic development projects and programs in the Mid-America and Western Regions as well as Access to Capital tools across the United States. Before joining CDFA Harry worked as an Intern for the Village of Marble Cliff where he created a plan to guide Village development for the next 10-15 years. (More)
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Thomas Leonard
Research Intern
614-705-1308
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Thomas is graduate student in the City and Regional Planning Program at The Ohio State University. He has a Bachelors degree in Environmental Science and Sustainability from Goshen College and he is passionate about making urban environments more resilient. At CDFA, he works on the research team as a graduate research ... intern. For his research, Thomas focusses on food system finance, energy finance, and water finance. In his time working at CDFA, Thomas has helped to research for and coordinate the establishment of CDFA's Food System Finance Advisory Council and continues to work on financing sustainable local food systems. (More)
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Brian S. Cooper
CDFA Bond Finance Course Advisor
Principal
Umbaugh- Ohio
A twelve year veteran to the Public Finance and Economic Development arena Brian specializes in general ... obligation and revenue based project and public finance. Mr. Cooper financial matters that range from credit strategy, debt issuance and management, financial operations, capital planning and support, management review and budgeting and forecasting.
Brian serves the Ohio public finance market and has worked with issuers large and small including the City of Akron, Development Finance Authority of Summit County, City of Wadsworth, the City of Grandview Heights and City of Tallmadge and the City of Cuyahoga Falls. Brian has also worked with regional authorities such as the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) and State level issuers including the State Treasurer and the Ohio Public Facilities Commission. Mr. Cooper has completed over 120 distinct project financings representing over $2.75 billion in financed projects.
Mr. Cooper graduated from the Ohio State University in 2001 and is registered as a municipal advisor with the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Mr. Cooper serves as a board member to the Ohio Tax Credit Authority and a trustee to the Worthington Education Foundation.
Cooper joined Umbaugh in 2015 when his practice, ACI Advisors, LLC, merged with Umbaugh. He is based in Umbaugh’s Columbus, Ohio, office and lives in Worthington, Ohio with his wife Patty and their three boys, Alex, Calvin and Ivan. (More)
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Ellen Harpel PhD
CDFA Incentives Course Advisor
President
Business Development Advisors
Ellen Harpel is the founder of Smart Incentives and president of Business Development Advisors LLC (BDA), an ... economic development and market intelligence consulting firm. She has helped many communities evaluate the competitiveness of their incentives offerings. Using the Smart Incentives 4 x 4 framework, she continues to work with communities to implement policies that enable them to achieve their development goals while making smart fiscal and economic decisions. Recent projects include competitive analyses of state and city incentive policies and assessments of incentive management and evaluation programs. Dr. Harpel speaks and writes frequently on incentive policies and programs. Dr. Harpel is a Senior Research Fellow with the Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness and an affiliate with the Center for Regional Analysis at George Mason University. She is a member of the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Virginia Economic Developers Association, and the European Association for Research on Services (RESER). Dr. Harpel earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina, and a doctoral degree in regional economics from George Mason University’s School of Public Policy. (More)
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Eric Silva
CDFA Legislative Representative
Principal
North South Government Strategies
Eric Silva serves as CDFA's Legislative Representative in Washington, DC. Eric has been an instrumental part ... of CDFA's legislative workings.
Eric Silva is a founding partner at NSGS. He began his career in Washington as a Fellow with the Congressional Hunger Center and the Corporation For Enterprise Development before serving as an aide to Senator James Jeffords (I-VT) and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Prior to founding NSGS, Eric practiced law for more than eight years in the Government and Regulatory Affairs group of Winston & Strawn LLP, a major international law firm.
Mr. Silva has significant experience in a number of policy areas, including tax, agriculture, financial services, health care, energy and the environment, and trade. Mr. Silva has successfully advocated for client interests on some of the most significant legislation of the past decade, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, the Affordable Care Act, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the 2008 and 2012 Farm Bills.
While practicing law, Mr. Silva served as legal counsel to clients on matters related to the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Lobbying Disclosure Act and congressional and executive branch ethics rules. He also served as in-house counsel to a major law firm Political Action Committee.
Mr. Silva received a B.A. from Boston College and a J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School. While at Boston College, he was a member of the University President’s Council on Student Formation and the recipient of the Congressman John Joseph Moakley Award for International Service. In law school, he competed on the Notre Dame International Moot Court Team and represented clients pro bono on a variety of matters through the Notre Dame Legal Aid Clinic.
Eric proudly serves as a Board Director for the Congressional Hunger Center, Boston College Alumni Association, and the Belfast Beltway Boxing Project. (More)
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Tony Smith
CDFA Tax Increment Finance Course Advisor
Executive Vice President
SB Friedman Development Advisors
Tony Q. Smith is an Executive Vice President with S. B. Friedman & Company, a development advisory firm based ... in Chicago's Loop. He has extensive experience in financial analysis, public-private deal structuring for complex projects, tax credit finance, and Tax Increment Financing (TIF). In the past seven years, he has participated in structuring, underwriting, and negotiation of approximately $1.2 billion of public-private financing for about $2.9 billion of projects. He has led all of SB Friedman's New Markets Tax Credit-related assignments, including the preparation of successful NMTC allocation applications securing about $485 million of allocation, and structuring/closing of over $700 million in NMTC transactions. During his tenure with SB Friedman, Tony has provided technical support, financial analysis, and strategic guidance to public, private and non-profit organizations seeking to facilitate high-quality urban redevelopment and challenging, catalytic projects. His clients have included, among others, large municipalities such as the Cities and redevelopment agencies of Chicago, Dallas, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Pittsburgh. Tony holds both a B.A. (Magna Cum Laude) and a Master's from the University of Pennsylvania. (More)
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