Ben Navarro

Onna LeBeau
Omaha Tribe of Nebraska

Tim Rios

Nick Tilsen
Oglala Lakota

Ben Sanders
Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Jeff Tickle

Xochitl Torres Small

Sheila D. Herrera

Robert J. Miller
Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma

Robin Danner
native Hawaiian

Pilar M. Thomas

Mel Willie
Navajo Nation

Gary Cunningham

Michou Kokodoko

Jodie Harris

Chrystel Cornelius
Ojibwe; Oneida

Angie Main
Fort Belknap Gros Ventre Tribe

Casey Lozar
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes

Janis Bowdler

Jesse Van Tol

Rep. Sharice Davids
Ho-Chunk Nation

U.S. Rep. Davids was raised by a single mother, who served in the Army for 20 years. After graduating from Leavenworth High School, she worked her way through Johnson County Community College and the University of Missouri-Kansas City before earning a law degree from Cornell Law School. As a first generation college student who worked the entire time she was in college, Rep. Davids understands the importance of quality public schools and affordable higher education. It is that foundation that allowed her to go on to a successful career, focused on economic and community development, which included time as a White House Fellow under President Barack Obama.

When she was sworn into the 116th Congress, Rep. Davids became one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress. Rep. Davids has centered her work in office on putting Kansans first, fighting to limit the influence of special interests and make health care more affordable and accessible to everyone. She is a resident of Roeland Park.

Andrew Gordon

Mr. Gordon serves as Executive Advisor to Clearinghouse CDFI as well as collaborates on special projects including activities specific to Arizona, Native American communities and the FVLCRUM Fund. He also supports CCDFI’s Impact Team and the Native American Advisory Board. Prior to joining Clearinghouse CDFI in 2015, Mr. Gordon was the founding President of Arizona MultiBank CDC, the heritage nonprofit CDFI that was established in 1991 and evolved into Arizona MultiBank, a Division of Clearinghouse CDFI.

Before returning to his home state of Arizona in 1991, Mr. Gordon was SVP of the legacy economic development bank to the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Mr. Gordon currently serves on the Investment Committee of the Arizona Community Foundation’s Community Impact Loan Fund. He served as Chair of the Phoenix Local Advisory Committee of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Chair of its Credit Committee. Mr. Gordon was a founding Advisory Board member of a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) licensed Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) and the SBA has recognized Mr. Gordon as a “Small Business Financial Services Champion of the Year”. Mr. Gordon taught the small business lending course at the former National Community Development Lending School. Mr. Gordon went to public elementary and high school in Arizona and worked at his family’s grocery store in downtown Phoenix.  Mr. Gordon is a former VISTA volunteer, as described in the book, A Cry for Help. He received his Bachelors from Yale College and Masters from Harvard University

Joel Smith
Caddo Nation of Oklahoma

Joel Smith (Caddo Nation of Oklahoma) has served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer of Native American Bank since 2013. He has worked in financing for 14 years. He holds a M.B.A. in Finance from the University of Colorado Denver, and a dual B.B.A in Finance and Accounting from the University of Oklahoma. Joel is also an alumnus of the Graduate School of Banking at Colorado, and holds a RMA Credit Risk Certification designation. Joel was named “40 Under 40” Native Business Lenders in 2015 by National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development.

David Black

David Black is a Community Development Expert in the Community Affairs Department of the Office of the Comptroller of Currency. In that role, he is responsible for a range of community development finance policy areas, including small business finance, minority and community development financial institutions, lending and investing in Indian Country, and community development tax credits. Prior to joining the OCC, Mr. Black conducted research in entrepreneurship and community development finance at The Aspen Institute and managed efforts to support community development in Pittsburgh. His formal education includes a B.A. in Studio Arts and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Pittsburgh.

Fern Orie
Oneida

Fern Orie is the Chief Programs Officer and Executive Vice President of Advocacy & Strategic Partnerships. She recently served as the founding CEO of the Wisconsin Native Loan Fund, a statewide housing Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). Fern is the Chair of the Wisconsin Indian Business Alliance since inception and the Vice Chair of the national Native CDFI Network.

She serves on the Board of Directors and Loan Committee of Bay Bank, a tribally owned bank, and serves on the Forward Community Investments New Markets Tax Credit Advisory Board. She was appointed by the Governor to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee, and the Governor’s Council on Financial Literacy and Capability. She also serves on the Wisconsin Economic Development Association Board of Directors.

Fern serves on the Program Advisory Committee for the Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe Community College and also the Community Advisory Committee for Associated Bank.

She has worked in the Native housing and community development industry for 20 years and holds a B.A. in Business Administration and is a certified Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) through the National Development Council. She is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin.

Candace Herring

Candace Herring is a Senior Community Development Oversight Analyst with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. In this role, Candace supports the Board’s oversight of Federal Reserve Bank community development programs and initiatives. Candace also leads the Board’s participation in the Central Bank Network for Indigenous Inclusion, a collaborative formed to better understand and promote economic and financial outcomes for Indigenous populations and communities.

Prior to joining the Board, Candace was an Associate Program Manager with the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund). Candace led strategy and policy development, program design and implementation, and oversaw all aspects of the grants management lifecycle for the CDFI Fund’s flagship programs – the CDFI Program and the Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) Program. Candace began her career with non-profit and private sector organizations focused on community development and affordable housing finance.

Candace earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Studies from New York University and a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University.

Steven Shepelwich

Steven C. Shepelwich is a Senior Community Development Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Oklahoma City Branch. Steven leads the Bank’s efforts to promote economic development and fair and impartial access to financial services in Oklahoma’s low- to moderate-income communities and manages the District’s workforce development program area. In this role, Steven has lead research and outreach initiatives on the District’s unbanked market, innovations in consumer financial services, asset-based approaches to rural development and workforce development strategies. Steven co-authored the bankers’ guide Engaging Workforce Development: A Framework for Meeting CRA Obligations.

Prior to joining the Federal Reserve Bank, Steven worked with national organizations focused on expanding the roles of financial institutions in low-income communities including leading banks and credit unions, microenterprise funds, and affordable housing loan funds throughout the country. Steven began his career by working internationally with microfinance, rural development, and refugee programs in Kenya, Burundi, and India for over six years.

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Steven holds a B.B.A in Marketing from Texas A&M University and an M.S. in Resource Development from Michigan State University. He is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Ammar Askari

Ammar Askari is the director for Community Affairs Outreach within the Bank Supervision Policy Department at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). In this role, Mr. Askari supervises a team of Community Affairs Officers who serve as liaisons among the agency, OCC-supervised banks, and the community on issues related to the Community Reinvestment Act and community development. Before joining the OCC, Mr. Askari worked in banking for nine years and in academia for 6 years.

Mr. Askari holds a master’s degree in social and applied economics from Wright State University and master’s and doctorate degrees in economics from Indiana University at Bloomington.

Ronald L. Milsap

Ronald L. Milsap is Director, Business Banking, Industry Vertical Team, where he is responsible for managing and leading programming for under-represented and underserved, specialty programs, as well as developing specialized strategy, customized products, training and education for different industry segments across BMO Harris Bank, N.A. U.S. footprint. Ron has over 17 years of blended banking experience in commercial underwriting, business banking relationship management and sales, and retail banking management. Prior to joining BMO, Ron served as the CRA Officer for Providence Bank & Trust overseeing its lending, services, and investments into low-to-moderate income communities. Ron is passionate about serving the diverse needs of communities, non-profits and small businesses and leveraging his skills to deliver innovative, industry-specific financing and cash management solutions to help BMO clients realize their vision for success. Ron earned his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA. Ron is a Leadership Greater Chicago Fellow and a graduate of the Chicago Urban League’s IMPACT Leadership Development Program. Ron serves on the boards of My Block, My Hood, My City, E.G. Woode and the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, is an advisory board member of Community Desk Chicago and a volunteer and mentor with several youth-based organizations. Ron currently resides in Chicago with his wife, son and daughter.

Letticia Flores Poole

I have been in banking for over 20yrs. Joined BMO Harris Bank in 2016 current role of Co-Head for BMO for Black and Latinx Small Business Program. Recently awarded the Best Small Business Product amongst 700 others- showcasing the resiliency and the commitment for our local communities. I have the pleasure of providing financial education and solutions to Small Businesses. I enjoy educating and helping people in our communities reach their financial goals through teaching, coaching and connecting. I am viewed as a trusted advisor to the businesses I work with. Recently I had the opportunity to work with our State of Minority Small Business group, where I helped our minority businesses voices be heard. I have been a part of multiple organizations from Non-profits to resource groups throughout my career, where I held multiple positions on the board from President to Treasurer to Member at Large. To name a few Supporting Professionals Network Association, South Chicago Chamber, Northwest Connection Chamber, Latinas in Childcare, North side Latinos Progress.

Letticia is married with one son and one bonus daughter and 2 grand kids. Born and raised in Chicago. Loves to bike ride and explore new bike paths.

Chad S. Marchand
Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation

Born and raised in Omak, Washington, Chad is a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Chad earned his Bachelor of Arts (’05) in Political Science and History and his Master’s Degree (’14) in Public Administration from the University of Arizona. In May 2019, Chad received his Master’s in Professional Studies in Applied Intelligence with a concentration in Homeland Security. Chad is now a Ph.D. student at St. John’s University pursuing a degree in Homeland Security.

Chad joined the Federal Reserve Bank of  San Francisco in August and serves in the position of Sr. Program Manager for Tribal and Indigenous Communities. Previously, Chad was with The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development (NCAIED) and served in the role of Vice-President of NCAIED and Interim Executive Director of Native Edge Finance, Inc. from October 2018 to December 2021. Chad also currently holds the role of Chairman of the Colville Tribal Gaming Commission.

For his work, Chad was the recipient of the Arizona Daily Star 40 Under 40 Award 2009, Omicron Delta Kappa Community Service Recognition Award in February 2011, the Children & Family Services Champions for Children & Families Award in April 2011, the University of Arizona Outstanding Young Alumni Volunteer Award in May 2011, and most recently received the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development Native American 40 Under 40 Award in October 2016. In his spare time, Chad coaches his daughter, Reagan’s softball team and loves to spend his time in the outdoors.

Megan Cruz
Osage Nation

Megan Cruz is with the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and leads the Federal Reserve’s Native Economic and Financial Education Empowerment (NEFEE) program.  In her role she focuses on working with tribal nations and Native communities across the United States on implementing culture-based economic and personal finance education programs to support economic and financial wellbeing.  NEFEE conducts research, in partnership with Native communities, to address barriers to financial capability and inclusion.  Megan also serves as the Federal Reserve’s lead representative to the Central Bank Network for Indigenous Inclusion workgroup, supporting the Federal Reserve Board’s participation in the Network.  She joined the Federal Reserve System with the San Francisco Reserve Bank and has assumed a variety of roles including in credit risk management, currency operations and security.

Megan began her career at Merrill Lynch in investment banking where she assisted tribal nations, pueblos and their enterprises in raising more than one billion dollars in financing for their economic development and reservation infrastructure projects.  She graduated from Oklahoma State University with a B.S. in Economics.

Megan is a citizen of the Osage Nation from the Grayhorse District.

Rollin Wood
Cherokee

Rollin Wood is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and has served as Executive Director of NPH since 2014. Under his leadership and vision, NPH has been successful in expanding NPH operations in lending, housing counseling, and construction services, to provide clients of NPH with quality services grounded in NPH’s non-profit mission of increasing access to homeownership and contributing to economic development within Native communities.

Prior to joining NPH, Mr. Wood owned and operated Sierra Vista Resources, Inc., located in Tucson, Arizona, developing business plans and financial projections for start-up businesses, including a Navajo-owned company in the natural resource industry. His previous work experience has included providing management and field operations for several large scale mine exploration projects, as well as a lengthy prior career in the broadcast industry serving at the executive level and devoting his expertise in the areas of sales, marketing, and management throughout broadcast offices located in Phoenix, Seattle, Sacramento, Portland, and Fresno.

Rollin Wood has business training in strategic planning, sales, human resources and management through the Belo Corporation and the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth: Building Successful Native-American Businesses. Rollin has previously served on an advisory committee for Native CDFI Network.

Courtney Haynes

Courtney has been working to elevate economic opportunity and prosperity over the last 18 years, covering large-scale policy initiatives to direct service. She has worked on coalition development and policy formulation across corporate favoritism, housing, and more deeply in healthcare, education and workforce, while continuously returning to community-based organizations to understand social determinant complexities and opportunity. More recently, Courtney was the Coal Communities Lead with the Economic Development Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce helping to build the programming, capacity, and funding opportunities under the American Rescue Plan for Coal Communities across the country. Courtney now joins the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations with the U.S. Department of Energy and serves as the Stakeholder Engagement Specialist for the Clean Energy on Mine Lands and Energy Improvements in Rural and Remote provisions working to bring stakeholders together locally to ensure long-term, regional economic development.

Senator Tina Smith

With more than 50 bills and provisions signed into law, her successful bipartisan legislative record has benefited the state’s economic development, housing and financial access, and under-resourced communities.

As a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Senator Smith has made access to housing and financial services for Native communities a top priority. She has led numerous bipartisan pieces of legislation to expand access to capital and financial services in underserved communities, outlaw discrimination in the financial services industry, institute common sense regulations for manufactured homes, and make credit unions safer for employees and members.

Additionally, as Chair of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation and Community Development, Smith has chaired hearings focused on supporting CDFIs and addressing disparities in access to capital in Tribal and underserved communities. She is the lead sponsor, along with Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), of the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program Improvement Act, which would make a key CDFI capital access program available to smaller CDFIs.

She has also introduced bipartisan legislation to help Native families access affordable home loans and achieve homeownership. In the months ahead, Senator Smith is working to pass federal bipartisan legislation that would expand financial services and capital investment in communities of color, on Tribal lands, and in rural communities.

Joaquin Altoro

For nearly three decades, Altoro has been dedicated to understanding the heart and passion of minority communities and applying his experience and wisdom to provide financing opportunities that spark economic development embedded in equity.

As a member of the Rural Development Leadership Team at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Altoro is dedicated to helping Americans build a legacy of home ownership, empowering renters to live with dignity, modernizing rural housing and increasing housing supply, strengthening partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, and continuing investments that create thriving, sustainable rural communities across all 50 states and US territories.

Prior to joining USDA, Altoro served as CEO for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) where he strategically positioned the organization to adopt a holistic approach that leveraged affordable housing to grow economic prosperity for historically marginalized communities. Under his guidance, WHEDA was able to enhance its 2021-2022 housing tax credit Qualified Action Plan, encouraging diversity among participating developers and providing greater consideration of the unique needs of rural communities. Prior to WHEDA, Altoro served as Vice President of Commercial Banking at Town’s Bank.

Altoro is a graduate of Cardinal Stritch University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and is a graduate of the African American Leadership Program.

Beth Lipson

As interim president and CEO of Opportunity Finance Network, Beth Lipson brings 25 years of experience and deep knowledge of the CDFI industry. Since joining OFN in 1997, Lipson has served in a broad range of roles, most recently as Chief Financial Officer, leading the organization’s capital, finances and budgets, compliance, grants, and risk management. She retains her CFO title while serving as interim CEO.

Lipson has spearheaded several key initiatives during her time at OFN. In 2012, she developed a new executive role to lead the development and execute strategic cross-functional industry initiatives, including the NEXT Awards and Create Jobs for US. Lipson spent nine years on the financial services team and currently serves on OFN’s investment committee. Each of these experiences has given her the opportunity to learn more and go deeper. Lipson enjoys the intermediary role that OFN plays and thrives on the opportunity to bring all the pieces together across OFN’s work to deliver money, strength, and voice to the CDFI industry.

Previously, Lipson worked in business valuation at Coopers and Lybrand (now PwC) and spent two years at the Federal Reserve Board researching trends in savings and loans. Her passion for community and mission-driven business brought her to the CDFI world.

Like the industry she works in, Lipson has a strong connection to place. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Lipson received her education there as well. She has an MBA from the Wharton School with concentrations in policy and finance and a BA from University of Pennsylvania.

Vachon Harper-Young

Vachon Harper-Young is Senior Manager and Co-Head of BMO for Women, Black, Latinx and Native-owned Businesses a $300 million, five- year commitment to advancing an inclusive economic recovery . She has been in banking for nearly 30 years in a variety of sales, management and individual contributor roles joining BMO in 2003 as part of the inaugural Business Banking Micro Lending team. She received the Award of Excellence as a top lender, earned a certificate in Leadership Development and received the Raising the BAR Leadership Award from BMO Alliance for Women Chicago and recognized as a BMO Allstar “Helping Customers Make Real Financial Progress”. She is excited about the momentum of the program that has assisted over 2,000 small businesses with over $50 million dollars in lending and the countless free educational hours provided driving business growth and sustainability.

Vachon is an active member of the Chicagoland community serving as The Idea Candidates Board Chair; a member of the Allies for Community Business Portfolio Advisory Council; founding board member and Program Director at Freedom Hillside Church; Association House of Chicago Board Member; Board Advisor to the John Walt Foundation; member of the NAACP; and a member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Business Communications from Illinois State University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management.

Kristin Axtell

Kristin Axtell recently joined Fannie Mae in a role that supports implementation of the Duty to Serve Plan across all three designated markets (Rural, Manufactured Housing, and Affordable Housing Preservation). This work includes both leading and supporting projects that serve to expand access to conventional lending products for individuals and families, specifically targeting underserved communities, including but not limited to Native-Americans, farmworkers, and those living in high-needs rural regions. Prior to joining Fannie Mae, Kristin held various roles in both consumer and commercial underwriting and portfolio management at Capital One. Kristin studied at the University of Maryland, College Park and is from Maryland originally.

Pete Upton
Ponca Tribe Of Nebraska

Pete Upton (Ponca Tribe Of Nebraska) is the Executive Director of Native360 Loan Fund, a certified Native Community Development Financial Institution that focuses on entrepreneurship and financial literacy development for Native Americans. Serving as Executive Director since 2011, Mr. Upton has built the organization from its start-up phase into a successful lending organization that continues to experience growth while ever increasing its community impact.

Mr. Upton has been involved with the Native CDFI Network since it was a grassroots movement. From 2011-2012, he served on the steering committee that was instrumental in the Native CDFI Network’s initial organizational development steps. In 2012, Mr. Upton became a founding board member and served as the Chairperson for the Peer Learning Committee.

As Native360 serves Native communities in three states, Mr. Upton understands the challenges of serving both rural and urban areas in various different jurisdictions. He values strong networks and cultivates partnerships to deliver technical assistance throughout a vast service area. Mr. Upton is a powerful advocate for equal access to capital.

Cindy Logsdon

Cindy Logsdon is the CEO of the Citizen Potawatomi Community Development Corporation. In this role she oversees the loan servicing, internal systems management, administers the reporting and relationships with funding entities, as well as oversees the financial reporting for the organization.

Ms. Logsdon came to the Citizen Potawatomi Nation in 2003 after a 15-year career in banking. She is proud to have implemented new programs and has assisted in making over $45 million in loans to Native American entrepreneurs. She has laid the groundwork for introducing multiple products to her tribal community, such as: an Employee Loan program, Financial Education Initiatives, Credit Builder Loan, Jumpstart Auto Loan, Tornado Shelter, CSA and IDA programs. She is honored to have secured funds through the 2015 CDFI Bond Program for $16 million.

Ms. Logsdon currently serves as secretary on the local Tecumseh FFA Booster Club, is a board member of the Oklahoma Native Asset Coalition, is an advisory member of Midwest Renewable Capital, and is the Board Treasurer of the Native CDFI Network.

Beverly Meek

Beverly Meek is first vice president and director of community reinvestment for Flagstar Bank, a position she has held since joining Flagstar in 2015. She brought to Flagstar 30 years’ experience in helping low- to moderate-income families become homeowners, together with a deep knowledge of the Community Reinvestment Act, experience in philanthropy, CRA compliance, CRA investments and a passion for affordable housing.

She started her career as a teller at Security Federal Savings & Loan in Springfield, Ill., and later moved to American Savings & Loan, where she held positions of increasing responsibility, including branch manager, mortgage loan officer and account manager. She later joined Marine Bank in the CRA Department, and through mergers became lead CRA officer for Illinois at JPMorgan Chase/Bank One, responsible for corporate CRA compliance in Illinois and facilitation of federal CRA exams with OCC and Federal Reserve Bank regulators. Other responsibilities included serving as national manager of the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program for the Chicago and Pittsburgh districts and sourcing affordable housing development projects eligible for multifamily, low-income housing tax credits and housing down payment assistance programs.

She subsequently moved into corporate responsibility and philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase Bank where she developed strategies for funding initiatives in support of nonprofits focused on affordable housing, workforce and economic development. Among other accomplishments, she established a nonprofit collaborative with over 50-member organizations to mitigate CRA concerns on the west side of Chicago.

At Flagstar, she develops and manages CRA strategy and programs in order to fulfill lending, investment and service goals to meet the needs of low- to moderate-income households. Responsibilities include CRA self-assessments, training, performance measurement and policy management for CRA and HMDA.

She was recently named to the Minority Depository Institutions Committee by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She also serves on the boards of OCC Project Reach Detroit, Rende Progress Capital and the Pontiac (Mich.) Regional Chamber of Commerce. Previous board service includes James R. Jordan Boys and Girls Club, Associated Colleges of Illinois, Chicago Central Area Committee and the Chicago Pre-College Science and Engineering Program.

Joshua Stallings

Stallings joined FHFA in 2011 and most recently served as Examiner-in-Charge of the Office of Fannie Mae Examinations within the Division of Enterprise
Regulation (DER). Previously, he served as the Examiner-in-Charge of the Office of Freddie Mac Examinations and the Boston and Cincinnati FHLBanks.

While serving in different capacities at the FHFA, Stallings also received the
Housing Finance Examiner Commission, became an Excellence in Government Fellow, and completed the Stonier Graduate School of Banking. He began his supervisory career with the Office of Thrift Supervision, where he received his Federal Thrift Regulator commission. Stallings received a Bachelor of Business Administration with a focus in Economics from the University of Georgia.

Eric Howard

Eric Howard is a Principal Policy Advisor in FHFA’s Office of Housing and Community Investment. In his role, Eric is engaged in regulatory and policy development and program development and implementation. He was previously FHFA’s Deputy Director for the Office of Minority and Women Inclusion, the EEO and Diversity Director, and received his commission as a Housing Finance Examiner. Prior to joining FHFA, Eric spent 23 years at the Farm Credit Administration as a Senior Policy Analyst, EEO Director, Ombudsman, Audit Follow-Up Liaison, and Commissioned Examiner.

Vincent Maine

After serving as an operation specialist in the U.S. Navy, Vincent Maine has spent more than 20 years working in community development. In his role at Flagstar, Vincent oversees CRA lending for multifamily affordable housing and tax credit investments, including millions of dollars in construction loans and equity investments within the bank’s footprint. He has also served on multiple boards of directors for housing and economic development, various nonprofits, and community development financial institutions.

Marilynn Malerba
Mohegan Tribe

Chief Mutáwi Mutáhash (Many Hearts) Marilynn “Lynn” Malerba became the 18th Chief of the Mohegan Tribe on August 15, 2010, and is the first female Chief in the tribe’s modern history. The position is a lifetime appointment made by the Tribe’s Council of Elders. Lynn follows in footsteps of many strong female role models in the Mohegan Tribe, including her mother, Loretta Roberge, who was a member of the Tribal Council that achieved Federal Recognition for the Tribe and held the position of Tribal Nonner (elder female of respect) as well as her great-grandfather Chief Matagha (Burrill Fielding). Prior to becoming Chief, she served as Chairwoman of the Tribal Council, and served in Tribal Government as Executive Director of Health and Human Services. Preceding her work for the for the Mohegan Tribe, Lynn had a lengthy career as a registered nurse ultimately as the Director of Cardiology and Pulmonary Services at Lawrence & Memorial Hospital. She earned a doctor of Nursing Practice at Yale University, named a Jonas Scholar. She was awarded an honorary Doctoral degree in Science from Eastern Connecticut State University and an honorary Doctoral Degree in Humane Letters from the University of St. Joseph in West Hartford, CT. She earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Connecticut, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the College of St. Joseph and her diploma in nursing from Hartford Hospital School of Nursing.

Lynn was appointed by President Biden and is currently serving as the Treasurer of the United States.

Prior to her current role, she served as the United South and Eastern Tribes Board of Directors Secretary. She formerly served as Chairwoman of the Tribal Self-Governance Advisory Committee of the Federal Indian Health Service (IHS), a member of the Justice Department’s Tribal Nations Leadership Council, a member of the Tribal Advisory Committee for the National Institute of Health, a member of the Treasury Tribal Advisory Committee and a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Center for Indian Country Development Leadership Council.

Locally she served as a Trustee for Chelsea Groton Bank, Board Chair for the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut, and on the Provost’s Advisory Committee Member for the Harvard University Native American Program

She published “The Effects of Sequestration on Indian Health Funding” in the Hastings Center Report, Nov-Dec. 2013 and authored two chapters in “American Indian Health and Nursing” Ed. Margaret P. Moss, Springer Publishing Company.

She lives in Niantic with her husband Paul. They are the parents of two adult daughters, Elizabeth and Angela and grandparents of granddaughters Taylor and Charlotte and grandson Connor.