As the CEO of Accion Opportunity Fund, Luz Urrutia works to build a more inclusive financial system. Luz is helping to scale the non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) to deepen its impact in California and expand its reach nationwide. Accion Opportunity Fund is the first organization focused on a national microlending strategy to meet the credit needs of small businesses – developing new products, establishing new partnerships, promoting research and financial education, and leveraging digital technologies to support mission-driven lending. Already the nation’s leading non-profit small business lender – with over $170 million in small business loans under management – Luz focuses on attracting the capital and philanthropic funds and expanding the product offerings that will quadruple Accion Opportunity Fund’s impact nationally by 2023.

Peter Bassine is a recent graduate of Yale Law School. He worked at the intersection of financial institutions and legal policy before and during his time at Yale. Peter is a corporate associate at Latham and Watkins in Orange County, California.

Della Clark has spent 28 years as the president and CEO of The Enterprise Center, a non-profit focusing on business, capital, and community development. Under her leadership, The Enterprise Center is concentrating on closing the capital gap for minority enterprises by raising blended capital (debt and equity) to accelerate Black and Brown CEOs leading the way in their communities.

Gary L. Cunningham was appointed President and CEO of Prosperity Now in August 2019. Under his leadership, Prosperity Now has been at the forefront of efforts to direct CARES Act funds to Community Development Financial Institutions to support Black-owned businesses disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gary is a recognized and respected expert on entrepreneurship, job creation and racial wealth equity and is a sought-after thought leader on issues related to building a more inclusive economy. Prior to joining Prosperity Now in 2019, Gary was President and CEO of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association in Minneapolis and has been recognized as an innovator in minority business development. Gary has held senior leadership positions in philanthropic, community development, health care, housing and transportation organizations. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from Metropolitan State University and his Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Benjamin Della Rocca (Student, Yale Law School) is enrolled at Yale Law School in the Class of 2022. Before law school, Ben researched and wrote about global macroeconomics at the Council on Foreign Relations and at Bridgewater Associates. His writing has appeared in Foreign Affairs, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. Ben speaks fluent Chinese and, in 2019-2020, wrote a biweekly column for Lawfare on U.S.-China technology issues. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Yale in Ethics, Politics and Economics.

Bulbul Gupta is President & CEO of Pacific Community Ventures, where she previously served as a Board member. Bulbul is a mission-driven leader who is passionate about making markets and technology work for social good, and the future of workers. She has 20 years of experience in funding and advising entrepreneurs, advancing quality jobs, and growing the field of impact investing to be more inclusive. Prior to her current roles, Bulbul co-founded an Artificial Intelligence think tank focused on human potential; led Entrepreneurship & Impact Investing at the Clinton Global Initiative and was a Global Entrepreneurship Policy Advisor to the Clinton Campaign. She has a Masters in Public Policy & Economics from the University of Michigan a BA in Economics & International Affairs from George Washington University, is an immigrant daughter of Indian tech entrepreneurs, and lives in Palo Alto, CA with her Jedi daughters.

Marie C. Johns (CEO, PPF-Leftwich; former SBA Deputy Administrator) is a recognized leader in Washington, D.C. business, government, and civic sectors. Marie retired as President of Verizon Washington and she currently serves as CEO of PPC-Leftwich, a management consulting firm focusing on strategic advising and community engagement. In 2009, Marie was nominated by President Barack Obama to serve as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Following her Senate confirmation, she was responsible for the management of the nearly $1 billion agency and development of SBA programs and policies, including leading the effort to implement the more than 60 provisions of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. She created the SBA’s Council on Underserved Communities and her initiatives at the agency resulted in lending more than $30 billion to over 60,000 small businesses, a record in SBA history.

Bruce Katz is the Founding Director of the Nowak Metro Finance Lab at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Previously he served as inaugural Centen- nial Scholar at Brookings Institution and as vice president and director of Brooking’s Metropolitan Policy Program for 20 years. He is a Partner with Accelerator for America and a Visiting Professor in Practice at the London School of Economics and previously served as chief of staff to the secretary of Housing and Urban Development and staff director of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing and Urban Affairs. Katz co-led the Obama administration’s housing and urban transition team. He is coauthor of The Metropolitan Revolution and The New Localism: How Cities Can Thrive in the Age of Populism, editor or coeditor of several books on urban and metropolitan issues, and a frequent media commentator.

Nate Loewentheil is an investor, social entrepreneur, and nationally recognized public policy expert. Nate is a Vice President at Camber Creek, the premier proptech venture capital firm in the U.S. Previously, Nate served in the Obama White House as a Special Assistant to the President at the National Economic Council, where he advised President Obama on urban policy, transportation, and emerging technologies. Nate is the founder of three successful social enterprises, Baltimore Homecoming, the Millennial Action Project and the Roosevelt National Network. He has written on economic policy, urban affairs and technology for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, Fast Company, and many other outlets. He is a former Forbes 30 under 30 and Aspen Institute Ideas Fellow. Nate holds both a BA and JD from Yale.

Jamie Rubin is the CEO of Meridiam NA, a developer of infrastructure projects in the US, Canada and Latin and South America. He was previously the New York State Director of State Operations and Commissioner of the New York Department of Homes and Community Renewal. Jamie spent many years in private equity and is a graduate of Harvard College and Yale Law School.

Mary Jean Ryan resides in Washington State where she has held leadership posts in economic development, small business finance, education, and workforce development. Ryan served in the Clinton administration as SBA’s Associate Deputy Administrator for Economic Development. Currently, Ryan chairs the Washington State Small Business Recovery Working Group.