I just returned from OFN’s Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX.  OFN’s President, Mark Pinsky, gave an address outlining a commitment to an ambitious four-point agenda for the Certified Development Finance Institution network.  One of his phrases particularly struck me: “Align capital resources with economic justice.”  Pinsky pledged to develop loan capital resources that meet the needs of CDFI clients rather than just those of investors.  He didn’t specify how this capital will be structured or where it will come from, but I look forward to watching this commitment become reality.

While at the conference, I had the pleasure of convening several CAMEO members for a informal member meeting: Salam Nalia of Fresno EOC, Reggie Knox of California Farm Link, Robert Villareal of CDC Small Business Finance, Roberto Barragan of Valley Economic Development Corporation, Namoch Sokhom of PACE, Ross Welch of Arcata EDC, Zachary Petry of Youth Business America , and Agnes Cheung of TMC Working Solutions.