Meeting Your CRA’s Plan Through Bank Partnerships
10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Palma Ceia 3-4
Financial Institutions provide lending, services and investments for local infrastructure, affordable housing and economic development. How can a Florida-based CRA plug into these programs? We will discuss how to effectively choose and partner with a financial institution. We invite YOU to bring general information about projects or opportunities for bank investments in your CRA. We will share who to contact and what kinds of projects banks are looking for. This session is a follow-up to “Understanding Bank CRA for Florida’s CRAs.” Instead of lectures in this session, we will host a facilitated audience participation format.
Moderator: April A. Atkins, AICP, Community Affairs Specialist, FDIC
Presenters: Ana Castilla, Vice President, Community Development Manager, TD Bank and Monclaude Nestor, Vice President, Relationship Manager, Community Development Banking, PNC Bank
CM I 1.0
April Atkins, ACIP is a Community Affairs Specialist for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) covering the North and Central Florida markets for the Atlanta FDIC Region. She is responsible for educating insured financial institution representatives, municipal entities and community-based organizations on community reinvestment opportunities. She facilitates partnerships between financial institutions and community-based organizations to promote community and economic development in communities of low wealth. She has also worked on temporary assignments with Minority Depository Institutions, and fair lending.
April has been a part-time lecturer at Georgia Institute of Technology in the building construction program, where she developed and taught courses in residential development policy and finance. She has also served in various urban planning, community and government affairs roles with the Office of the CEO of DeKalb County, Georgia; DeKalb County Board of Commissioners; the Urban Land Institute’s Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing; the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association; and the City of Marietta, Georgia.
A native of the Florida panhandle, April received her bachelor’s from the University of Florida and her master’s from the Georgia Institute of Technology. She holds a professional certificate in community economic development from NeighborWorks America and in community development finance from Opportunity Finance Network and the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy. She is a graduate of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators Mentor Program, Leadership DeKalb Class of 2012, and LEAD Atlanta Class of 2011. She served as a co-chair and member of the FDIC’s Chairman’s Diversity Advisory Council and co-chair for the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2015. In 2017, she was honored to receive the Shirley Taylor-Prakelt Award from the Florida Community Development Association, in recognition of her professional excellence and support of community and economic development.
In 2019, April was selected to participate in an executive leadership program with the Graduate School USA, a leading provider of professional development and training courses for the federal government and the private sector. April is also an appointed planning commissioner in DeKalb County, Georgia, and she volunteers with LEAD Atlanta, and Out of Darkness, an anti-trafficking ministry in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a member of Ray of Hope Christian Church.