CDFA Virtual Summer School is a 2-week long series of courses presented by the CDFA Training Institute. CDFA Virtual Summer School will offer five different training courses, all held online. Learn from our expert practitioners and experience CDFA's most interactive educational event of the year - all from the comfort of your own home or office!

All courses at CDFA Virtual Summer School qualify for the CDFA Training Institute's Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program. Participants may register for one, two, or three courses during this two-week-long event. Complete three courses, and you will have fulfilled half of the requirements for the DFCP Program. Join us online, and start down the road to personal and professional advancement today.

The schedule for CDFA Virtual Summer School is outlined below. Click on the course name to learn more about the topic and agenda:

Course Advisor

	Toby Rittner Council of Development Finance Agencies President & CEO Toby Rittner is the President & CEO of Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), 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 including the organization’s various educational, advocacy, research, resources and networking initiatives. Rittner is one of the most vocal and recognized leaders of the development finance industry nationwide and has advised state and federal government leaders, including President Biden and President Obama’s Administration Transition Teams, on economic development finance policy. Through his leadership and guidance, CDFA was successful in preserving private activity bonds and other critical development finance tools during the 2017 tax reform deliberations and has had numerous pieces of legislation introduced in the United States Congress. In 2021, Rittner successfully led a national effort to reauthorize and fund the $10B State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. Rittner focuses on sustainable finance with an emphasis on infrastructure, clean energy food systems, small business and innovations in the development finance industry to drive sustainable outcomes. He has written extensively about impact ready initiatives that leverage and engage capital in ways that drive local sustainability in both the environment and economy. Rittner is a frequent speaker at local, state and national conferences and events focused on economic development finance. He has been featured 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 co-author of CDFA's Unlocking Capital: A Handbook for Becoming a High Performing Development Finance Agency. Rittner is an adjunct faculty member at The Ohio State University and Carnegie Mellon University teaching planning and finance for sustainable economic development. He is also a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) and has completed the prestigious Oxford University Sustainable Finance Foundation Course. Prior to joining CDFA, Mr. Rittner was the Director of Legislative Affairs for the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Mr. Rittner has also worked for the Franklin County, Ohio Board of Commissioners and the City of Gahanna, Ohio. Mr. Rittner previously served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board and is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Community Fund I. 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 University College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2016. (More)
	Angela Blatt Council of Development Finance Agencies Director, Research & Technical Assistance As Director of Research & Technical Assistance with the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), Angela focuses on the W.K. Kellogg Foundation-funded initiative “Defining the Food System Asset Class,” whereby CDFA explores opportunities for... the advancement of local and regional food systems using development finance tools. Through this initiative, Angela collaborates with communities across the country providing technical assistance and producing strategic plans for development finance strategies that meet infrastructure, agriculture, and small business needs to support equitable, local food economies. Angela leads CDFA’s Food Systems Finance Advisory Council, joining both the food and finance industries, administers CDFA’s Food Systems Finance Webinar Series, connecting food-related businesses and projects with development finance agencies, and manages the Food and Agriculture Finance Update monthly newsletter. In 2021, she gained certification as a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) through the CDFA Training Institute. A Navy Veteran, Angela holds two degrees from The Ohio State University: a Master of Public Administration with a focus on Food Policy from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, and a Bachelor of Science from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. (More)
	Mitchell Smith Council of Development Finance Agencies Director, Government & External Affairs Mitchell Smith is the Director of Government and External Affairs at the Council of Development Finance Agencies. Previously, Mitchell worked for the Ohio Legislative Service Commission on the education research team and served as the committee... staffer for the House of Representatives Primary and Secondary Education Committee. There, Mitchell drafted legislation and legal research memos on behalf of the Ohio General Assembly. A native of Bentonville, Arkansas, Mitchell attended the University of Arkansas – Fayetteville, where he received his B.A. in American Studies and Political Science in 2009 and was a punter for the Razorbacks. Thereafter, he completed his M.A. in American History in 2013. He then relocated to Ohio University to complete a Ph.D. in American History. His specialization is in American diplomatic history, politics, and culture. He currently is completing his dissertation, tentatively entitled “The Politics of Assent: The Prowar War Movement in America’s Vietnam War, 1965-1975.” (More)
	Zeyu Zhang Council of Development Finance Agencies Manager, Research & Technical Assistance Zeyu Zhang is a Manager of Research & Technical Assistance for the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). Her focus areas include bond, infrastructure finance, energy, PACE, and P3. She contributes to the team by managing federal programs,... conducting research on development finance-related topics, generating reports, and performing data analysis. Zeyu received her Ph.D. degree in Mass Communication at Ohio University in 2021. She has expertise in media studies, research designs, and data analysis. She has a Master’s degree in Digital Storytelling from Ball State University. Prior to joining CDFA, she worked as a researcher, instructor, research assistant, and program assistant. She is excited to advance her career by deepening her knowledge in the field of development finance. (More)

CDFA Virtual Summer School will meet each day from 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM Eastern online via Zoom. You must have access to a computer and internet to attend.