Capital Impact Partners’ CFO Ellis Carr Candidacy Statement for 2015 OFN Board of Directors
Arlington, VA (October 1, 2015) – Capital Impact Partners announced today that Ellis Carr, the organization’s Chief Financial Officer, has been nominated to serve on the Opportunity Finance Network’s 2015 Board of Directors.
Mr. Carr has more than 15 years of experience in financial services and mortgage sectors. Most recently, he was a senior director in the Single Family Business Unit of Freddie Mac and held a number of positions during his tenure including the strategic director of finance transformation and manager of investments and capital markets. Prior to Freddie Mac, he worked domestically and abroad for Deutsche Bank. Mr. Carr is a trustee of the NHP Foundation; the Treasurer and Board Member of Martha’s Table; and is a Board Finance Committee Member for both OFN and the Housing Partnership Network. In 2015, he was included in the prestigious Washington Business Journal 40 under 40 list of rising local leaders.
Mr. Carr is among seven candidates running for five Board Seats. Elections will take place at the 2015 OFN Conference in Detroit, Michigan in November. As part of his candidacy, Mr. Carr has issued the following statement and video:
I am respectfully seeking your support of my candidacy of OFN’s Board of Directors to help advance OFN’s mission to lead CDFIs and their partners to ensure that low-income, low-wealth, and other disadvantaged people and communities have access to affordable, responsible financial products and services.
With your support, I will continue to guide OFN’s strategic plan while proactively engaging with each of you to implement strategies that strengthen our ability to serve those most in need given the changing financial, social and political landscape.
My passion for community was instilled in me at a young age. My parents were both public school teachers in underserved areas in Washington DC and I saw first-hand how a lack of resources were a primary function of where you lived.
Being appointed as Chief Financial Officer in 2012, gave me the opportunity to follow my passion and transition to a mission-driven career at Capital Impact Partners. Capital Impact is a national CDFI focused on increasing access to better education, health care, healthy food, housing, and cooperative development. Over Capital Impact’s history, we have partnered with national and regional CDFIs, banks, and foundations, to invest over two billion dollars in underserved communities across the country.
Most importantly, we, at Capital Impact, believe that sharing expertise creates opportunities for learning, growth and collective success. That is why we have partnered with OFN to deliver technical assistance for OFN members on successfully financing Community Health Care Centers, advocate on behalf of a number of federal programs that impact our communities, and actively participate in groups such as performance counts to share best practices to align the financial practices within our industry.
I believe my experience can help strengthen OFNs board in several ways:
Develop and recruit the next generation of leaders in our industry while further bolstering equity and diversity – Having a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and the needed innovation to move our industry forward. I have successfully recruited and cultivate diverse talent on the university level, at Deutsche Bank and Freddie Mac. I recently hired Capital Impact’s first human resources director and implement systems to encourage staff growth.
Advance our policy agenda – Now, more than ever, we need a strong voice at the Federal, state and local levels. At Capital Impact, I joined you in OFNs Advocacy Day to advocate for government programs critical to our industry including the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program, New Market Tax Credit, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative, CDFI Financial Assistance Award, and Capital Magnet Fund. In addition, I helped worked with my CDFI colleagues to advocate to the Federal Housing Finance Agency to remove constraints to unlock CDFI membership system wide.
Enhance the CDFI brand – Increasing the recognition and value of our industry to policy makers, investors and borrowers is important for all of us – national and regional, urban and rural. Today’s media landscape provides a wide array of opportunities to do just that and I would like to continue efforts to share our stories of success.
I recognize that our diverse areas of expertise (e.g. native, micro finance, small business, housing, community facilities) not only make us stronger as a collective, they are necessary to develop strong, vibrant and inclusive communities. I appreciate your consideration for the OFN Board of Directors and would be honored if you allowed me to serve on your behalf. I look forward to being your partner and advocate.
###About Capital Impact Partners: Capital Impact Partners transforms underserved communities into strong, vibrant places of opportunity for people at every stage of life. We deliver strategic financing, incubate new social programs, and provide capacity-building to help ensure that low-to-moderate-income individuals have access to quality health care and education, healthy foods, affordable housing, and the ability to age with dignity. A nonprofit community development financial institution, Capital Impact Partners has disbursed more than $2 billion to revitalize communities over the last 30 years. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., Capital Impact Partners operates nationally, with local offices in Detroit, Mich., and Oakland, Calif. Learn more at www.capitalimpact.org.
