Introducing CBN's next Executive Director

We are thrilled to announce that Linda Nguyen will be joining the CBN staff team as our next Executive Director on May 9!

Linda currently serves with Park Central Development as their Coordinator of Neighborhood Initiatives and Engagement. She’s been an active part of the CBN network, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Coalition, and the Community Engagement Action Group for many years and is looking forward to engaging with our work from this new vantage point.

Our member organizations’ input served as the foundation for this transition process, and we are grateful for the time and wisdom they shared with us! Many, many thanks also go to the CBN Board of Directors and ED Transition Committee for leading the search and selection process over the past several months. Finally, thanks too to EMD Consulting for providing support on logistics related to the search.

Please help us give Linda a warm welcome! Here’s a little more about her:

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Linda came to St. Louis back in 2013 to get her Master’s Degree in Social Work from Washington University with a concentration in social and economic development and a specialization in nonprofit management. Linda is dedicated to the strengthening of organizations’ capacity and building strong neighborhoods through reinvestment in people and places.

In the last decade, she has created and managed anti-displacement programming that addresses the needs of hundreds of low- and moderate-income households, completed four community-wide needs assessments to identify current gaps of service and areas of opportunities, provided strategic planning and board development for two growing nonprofits, and organized numerous community events and workshops that provided community stakeholders with the tools to take action. Prior to working in the community development field in St. Louis, she has over ten years of experience in social welfare case management and counseling support in an urban setting working closely with seniors, people with disabilities, at-risk youth and families, and homeless populations.

Linda is passionate about working together to build the capacity of leaders and organizations to address the inequities in the St. Louis region. With over two decades of grassroot nonprofit experiences, she looks forward to creating meaningful relationships that connect the private and public sectors to all the great opportunities that make St. Louis a wonderful place to live, work, and play.

Help CBN welcome our three newest Board Members!

CBN is excited to welcome three new members to our Board of Directors in October 2021 and January 2022!

When the CBN Board of Directors has vacant seats, it appoints a Board Nominations Subcommittee to oversee the nominations process. During summer and fall 2021, this committee:

• Evaluated current Board strengths and gaps

• Created a scoring tool based on identified priority areas

• Solicited nominations

• Scored and evaluated finalists

• Arranged follow-up conversations with top candidate choices to discuss potential interest and clarify any scoring questions

• Made a recommendation to the full Board in October

Delesha George
Midwest BankCentre
Assistant to the Chief Information Officer

Joining January 2022

Deleshā N. George is a proud St. Louis native who is committed to doing her part to empower and engage communities and move them forward. After returning home to St. Louis from Washington, DC, in 2012, Deleshā decided to focus on work that would benefit the people of Saint Louis and she has not looked back since. She has worked in corporate and nonprofit settings, having recently joined Midwest BankCentre after working for United Way of Greater Saint Louis. Deleshā is dedicated to working alongside and on behalf of others to have a better understanding of communities’ needs and how best to serve them.

Becky Reinhart
DeSales Community Development
Assistant Director

Joining January 2022

Becky was born and raised in southside St. Louis. An alumna of the St. Louis Public Schools, Becky continued her education with a double-major in American Studies and Spanish at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She earned her MA in Applied Literary and Cultural Studies in Dortmund, Germany. Following her drive to help St. Louis become a healthier, more equitable city, Becky joined DeSales Community Development as Director of Community Health Initiatives in January 2017.

A resident of the Tower Grove East neighborhood, one of Becky’s favorite things about her job is the opportunity to serve the community where she lives. When Becky isn’t busy directing community programs, she enjoys running around Tower Grove Park with her dogs Hövels and Knut.

Paul Woodruff
St. Louis Community Credit Union
Vice President of Community Development

Joined October 2021

Paul Woodruff serves as the Vice President of Community Development for St. Louis Community Credit Union (SLCCU). In this capacity, he is responsible for managing strategic initiatives which fund, support, and advance interventions designed to decrease racial and economic inequity throughout the St. Louis region. Paul began his career in 2009 as a teller at SLCCU and has subsequently worked in a variety of roles advancing community development finance objectives for the institution. In 2013, he moved into his current role as the Vice President of Community Development and as the Executive Director of SLCCU’s sister nonprofit, Prosperity Connection. In April of 2021 he left his post at Prosperity Connection to focus his efforts on credit union priorities. Prior to joining SLCCU, Paul received his Master’s in Public Administration from St. Louis University, where his research focused on credit union alternatives to payday loans.

As an active member of the community development sector, Paul shares his expertise through a variety of advisory and board positions. Since 2014 he has served on the board of Inclusiv, a national Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) advocacy association for credit unions, where he is currently the Vice Chair. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, as well as on advisory councils for US Bank and Washington University’s Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement. Outside of work, Paul loves to read, cook, entertain, and enjoy his beloved hometown, St. Louis, Missouri.

Thank you to our 2021 Give STL Day donors!

Thank you so much to everyone who donated to CBN on May 6, 2021 for Give STL Day!

Your support means so much to us. We say often that community development is a team sport and we’re very grateful for your partnership on that team.

2021 Give STL Day Donors

Adam Castagno
Amanda Honigfort
Becky Reinhart
Charli Cooksey
Cindy Mense
Claire & Dan Hutti
Elizabeth Simons
Ellen Sherman
Emma Klues
Hilary Perkins
Joe Cavato

Kate Grindstaff
Kendra Copanas
Kevin Hahn
Linda Kunz
Pamela Harris
Paul Orr
Paul Woodruff
Rachel D’Souza-Siebert
Stephanie Co
Todd Swanstrom
Zachariah Stillman

2021 Give STL Day Matching Fund Donors

Angela Pinex
David Noble
Jenny Ryan
Kathy Siddens
Kimberly McKinney

Monica Campbell
Sal Martinez
Sean Spencer
Todd Swanstrom

Welcome to CBN’s Newest Board Member, Kathy Siddens

CBN is excited to be welcoming Kathy Siddens to our Board of Directors in January 2021!

When the CBN Board of Directors has a vacant seat, it appoints a Board Nominations Subcommittee to oversee the nominations process. During fall 2020, this committee evaluated current Board strengths and gaps, created a scoring tool based on identified priority areas, solicited nominations, scored and evaluated finalists, and made a recommendation to the full Board in December.

View fullsize

Kathy Siddens
U.S. Bank
Vice President and Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility – Community Affairs

Katherine (Kathy) D. Siddens is Vice President and Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility – Community Affairs with U.S. Bank. Located in St. Louis, Missouri, she manages the St. Louis area and manages a team of Community Affairs Managers in nine states. She began working with U.S. Bank in February of 2003.

In this capacity, Kathy is responsible for representing the bank in community and economic development initiatives focusing on developing and maintaining strategic alliances with governmental agencies, community groups, and other organizations representing diverse interests of the Community Reinvestment Act and Corporate Social Responsibility.

Kathy is a graduate of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri and completed a graduate fellowship with the CORO Midwestern Center in St. Louis. She is a member of the Dana Brown Charitable Trust allocations committee, a board member of the St. Joseph Housing Initiative, and a member of the United Way Financial Stabilities Initiative Advisory Board. In addition, she is a member of the NeighborWorks Training Institute faculty.

Kathy has served on CBN’s Fund Development Committee since 2019 and has long been a trusted source of guidance and support for CBN staff and many members of the CBN network.

Press Release: St. Louis CDFIs Roll-out Coronavirus Programs

For Immediate Release:

St. Louis CDFIs Roll-out Coronavirus Programs Addressing Capital Access and Relief

Local Community Development Financial Institutions Offer Varied Financial Services in Time of Crisis

St. Louis, MO (July 23, 2020) – Agile and nimble, St. Louis-based community development financial institutions (CDFIs) have responded to the financial needs of communities in the wake of Covid-19.  Coalesced as the St. Louis CDFI Coalition, its member organizations share a common mission of access to safe and affordable financial products and services, ranging from credit builder loans for consumers to commercial rehab mortgages for non-profits.

At the onset of the pandemic, CDFIs took quick steps to implement the following emergency resources: 

• Borrowers were able to request breaks from their loan payments for up to 3 months —oftentimes longer—at no charge. Together they have processed nearly 2,812 payment extensions for over $74 million dollars in loans over the past two months.

• Short term loan modification and extensions were made available to borrowers with personal loans.

• Temporarily suspended loan foreclosures for 60 days. 

• Established 241 small dollar emergency loans to mimic direct deposit paychecks for borrowers who were facing unexpected hardship due to loss of income. 

• Funds to support individuals with food, rental, and utility relief.

In addition, the CDFIs quickly moved to deploy Payment Protection Program (PPP) loans for small businesses and nonprofits. Together, they have worked to secure over $15.9 million in loans for 387 local small businesses and nonprofits. Many of these businesses and organizations were unable to access PPP funds through traditional banks. 

CDFIs played a national role in deploying PPP loans to minority small businesses. Rochelle Bea, founder and executive director of Beginning Futures Learning Center located in North St. Louis City commented, “I didn’t feel that a bank was in a position to serve me. I thought my loan request might be too small, so I explored options.” Justine PETERSEN, a St. Louis-based CDFI loan fund, was able to close on a PPP loan for Beginning Futures Learning Center and other local small businesses whose loan request size skewed smaller compared to the national average.

But CDFIs offer more than just loans, they also walk small businesses and families with fewer economic means through the process of accessing resources and building financial wealth.

Mike Eggleston, Community Development Advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, applauded the local response of CDFIs. “St. Louis is a stronger region because of our committed CDFIs, which have stepped up in this crisis to financially support individuals, small businesses and nonprofits in our region’s most economically vulnerable communities.”

Local CDFIs are members of the St. Louis CDFI Coalition, a partnership among eight institutions that offer an array of capital, development, personal banking and consulting services and share a common mission to empower a comprehensively healthy St. Louis community through support for nonprofits, small businesses, and communities facing disinvestment.

“CDFIs in St. Louis were quick to respond to the crisis of Covid-19 because we were all created for the purpose of responding to non traditional financial problems,” stated Laura Woods, Vice President of Community Presence at 1st Financial Federal Credit Union. “While we all approach the work with widely varied solutions, we move with one mission. To provide accessible financial tools for businesses and families who have, for too long, been underserved and unseen.”

The Coalition was born out of several calls from the Ferguson Commission Report including, enhanced access to banking in order to build equity. All Coalition members offer mission-driven loans and other resources which are more flexible and accessible than traditional financing. Loans and resources through these institutions are deployed across the region into some of St. Louis’ most economically distressed communities. 

###

Media Inquiries:

Laura Woods, Vice President of Community Presence,

1st Financial Federal Credit Union

(636) 916-8303

Thank you to our 2020 Give STL Day donors!

Thank you so much to everyone who donated to CBN on May 7, 2020 for Give STL Day!

We hit our Give STL Day fundraising goal this year for the first time ever, and you made it happen.

We are so grateful for your support and partnership as our community works to create the better future that we want to see on the other side of COVID-19. It is going to take all of us.

As we say often, community development is a team sport. Thank you for being a part of that team.

2020 Give STL Day Donors

Adam Bowen
Adam Castagno
Amanda Colón-Smith
Amelia Bond
Annie Rice
Becky Reinhart
Cindy Mense
Claire & Dan Hutti
Dan Lee
Ellen Sherman
Emily Andrews
Emma Klues
Grace Kyung

Jessica Payne
Joe & Linda Cavato
Kate Grindstaff
Karl Guenther
Lisa Thorp
Loura Gilbert
Paul Woodruff
Rachel D’Souza-Siebert
Sal Martinez
Stephanie Co
Ted Floros
Tom Pickel
Will Gilbert

Thank you to our 2019 Giving Tuesday donors!

Thank you so much to everyone who donated to CBN on December 3, 2019 for #GivingTuesday!

This was our biggest Giving Tuesday yet, and you were an important part of it.

This work is bigger than all of us and it's only doable when we come together and support each other. Whether or not you were able to donate yesterday, thank you for believing in the power of community with us and for supporting our network with your time, talent, treasure, and friendship, and for challenging us to grow and be better. We couldn't do this without you.

2019 Giving Tuesday Donors

Becky Reinhart
Cindy Mense
Madeleine Swanstrom
Keith Ford
Paul Woodruff

Sara Anderson
Stephanie Co
Susan Bowen
Ted Floros

Thank you to our 2019 Give STL Day donors!

Thank you so much to everyone who donated to CBN on May 1, 2019 for Give STL Day!

This was our biggest Give STL Day yet, and you were an important part of it.

We are so grateful for your support & partnership as we all work to build a stronger, more equitable St. Louis, where all people live in safe, economically strong, and vibrant neighborhoods and all community-based organizations are sustainable, supported, and valued.

2019 Give STL Day Donors

Abby Buckhouse
Adam Bowen
Cindy Mense
Dan & Claire Hutti
Dara Eskridge
David Dwight
Elizabeth Simons
Emma Klues
Jessica Payne
Joe Cavato

Joe Jovanovich
Dr. Julie Birkenmaier
Katie Carpenter
Paul Woodruff
Peter Burgis
Rachel D’Souza-Siebert
Rebecca Weaver
Stephanie Co
Susan Bowen
Ted Floros

Welcome to CBN’s Newest Board Member, Monica Campbell!

CBN is excited to welcome Monica Campbell to our Board of Directors in April 2019!

CBN’s Board appoints a Board Nominations Subcommittee to oversee the nominations process. During spring 2019, this committee evaluated current Board strengths and gaps, created a scoring tool based on identified priority areas, solicited nominations, scored and evaluated finalists, and made a recommendation to the full Board in April.

Monica Campbell
Enterprise Bank & Trust
Vice President, Community Development

Monica currently serves as Vice President, Community Development at Enterprise Bank & Trust. She is responsible for sourcing relationships that further Enterprise Bank's fair and responsible banking objectives to achieve better strategic positioning in each community. Monica joined Enterprise in 2014 as an Assistant Vice President, Business Banking Specialist and has been working in the banking industry for over 22 years.

Monica teaches and otherwise helps with financial literacy classes at various organizations in the St. Louis area, including one financial empowerment class with the City of St. Louis. She also works to further Enterprise’s social mission around homeownership by partnering with area nonprofits to help people learn more about homebuying and get them the resources they need to buy their own homes.

Monica has been engaged with CBN’s Civic Capacity Building Committee over the past several years and was one of the first people to step up and provide funding and support to the Vacancy Collaborative as it was initially being formed in 2017.