Now on the profession side of things, I am a Commodity Research and Fund Administrative Associate for JKV Global Enterprises a Institutional Commodities Brokerage firm. My responsibilities include developing relationships with pension funds, hedge funds and high net worth individuals as a teammate with the Vice President of Business Development. In addition, I provide geo-political analysis of global events in relation to the markets, and investigate asset managers on the behalf of pension- institutional investors for potential allocations. During my tenure the firm’s investable capital increased by over 40%. I developed business development skills from this position that compliment the skills gained from work in the community development world.

From my experience within the community development world, I have come to the belief that the community partnerships are at heart of any successful community development plan. My belief developed from experience as a member of ACCION Chicago’s turnaround team, I have had the privilege and the honor to play a key role in the survival of many Chicagoland community based companies despite the recent downturns in the economy. This experience came though two- terms as a AmeriCorpsVISTA volunteer at ACCION Chicago, which is Non- profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that fosters the growth of small enterprises through investing and developing community partnerships.

During my first term at ACCION, I was the Social Investment Coordinator with the objective of developing and executing strategic plans to develop community relations with healthcare providers, for- and non- profit community development organizations. In addition to developing a fundraising plan to obtain new investments, raising $1.1 Million in 2002-03 in the form of Grants and other types of structured financial instruments wide- range of donors. During this experience, my work consisted of presenting complex information to a wide- range of audiences with varying backgrounds, which ranged from elementary school students to community development professionals to financial services regulators.

After being in the position for ten months my responsibilities evolved into a business development and public relations role called the Assistant to the Executive Officers. While in this position, I spent a majority of my time redefining the image of ACCION Chicago and forming relationships with organizations that are complimentary. This included developing a marketing campaign during the organization’s turnaround period focused on promoting ACCION as co-partners in future Fortune 500 companies. This strategy included fostering relationships with various groups that included banks, insurance companies, foundations, Small Business Administration, CDFI Fund, and community stakeholders. During 2004, the plan raised $2.6 million in capital. In addition, I underwrote commercial loans, developed a system of reporting to investors, analyzed distressed and charged-off portfolio investments, and revised the underwriting policy.

My educational background consists of a BS in Industrial Technology- Manufacturing Safety Engineering from Southern Illinois University- Carbondale in combination with a MS in Service Management and a MBA in Financial Analysis and Investments from St. Xavier University- Chicago.