Team

Shawn Luther is Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at Local Initiatives Support Corporation, responsible for establishing the credit policies and overseeing credit approval and risk management functions for LISC’s loan fund, as well as managing a team of credit, closing and construction management personnel.  Mr. Luther previously served as Senior Director and Credit Officer at Capital Impact Partners, Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at Nonprofit Finance Fund, and Director of Asset Management and Associate General Counsel at LISC. He also counseled underwriters and issuers of tax-exempt housing bonds and parties to asset-based lending transactions.  Mr. Luther is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the State of University of New York at Buffalo School of Law. 

Parker was most recently a Strategy and Financial Analyst at Divy, Inc., a financial technology startup in Los Angeles. At Divy, he was responsible for creating and maintaining financial models, creating pitch decks for potential investors, and helping with the overall product and business strategy. Before joining Divy, he interned at the FHLBanks Office of Finance, where as a Capital Markets Risk intern, he provided market research on the US Treasury yield curve, tracked macroeconomic trends, and analyzed underwriters’ financial statements. Parker has dual degrees in Religion and Economics & Business from Hampden-Sydney College, where he was also captain of the golf team. Apart from golf, Parker is also an avid hiker and fly fisherman. 

Norman Trepner joined LISC in May 2018 as a Program Officer for the Connecticut office, and he moved to the National Underwriting team in March of 2019. Prior to joining LISC, Norman was a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Bank of America, where he worked in the commercial real estate workout group and later in community development banking. While in BofA’s community development banking group, he was the Bank’s representative on the Connecticut Statewide Local Advisory Committee. Norman has a Bachelor’s degree from Rutgers and an MBA from NYU’s Stern School of Business. In his spare time, Norman enjoys reading, volunteering in a Bridgeport, CT, elementary school, and cycling.

Barbara joined LISC Asset Management in January 2020 and serves as Director of Asset Management in the Lending Department.  Prior to joining LISC, Barbara worked at two of the largest credit rating agencies in various roles within structured finance and commercial mortgage-backed securities (“CMBS”) industry that included credit risk analysis and monitoring the performance of a substantial commercial real estate portfolio. Prior to this, Barbara managed the corporate banking relationships and credit for a large international bank. Barbara holds a master’s degree in international business from Hofstra University and a B.S. in Finance from Fordham University.  When not at work, Barbara enjoys swimming, hiking, and traveling the globe to experience the different cultures and to keep learning the many customs the world has to offer.

Thanos joined LISC Asset Management in January 2020.  Prior to LISC, he worked in Commercial Real Estate (Underwriting & Lending) for a New York City financial institution for 5 years and also, in Global Markets/Treasury (Fixed Income & Financial Derivative products) for a European banking institution for 8 years, managing the government fixed income portfolio. Thanos holds a Master’s degree in Finance from ICMA (Henley Business School, UK) and a B.Sc. in Banking and Financial Management from University of Piraeus in Greece. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling around the world and experiencing different cultures.

Jacky covers the following regions as an Asset Manager: Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Newark, Philadelphia, and Puget Sound. Prior to joining LISC, Jacky was a Portfolio Manager at Amalgamated Bank focused on loan portfolio monitoring work for clients in the nonprofits, unions, political groups, and mission-driven organizations. He started his financial career working as an intern at HSBC in the Internal Audit unit. He review and examined end-to-end lending processes through deal origination, credit approval, client implantation, closing, and funding. Before that, Jacky was in the supply chain profession for 9 years. Jacky has a BA in Supply Chain Management from Michigan State University, and received his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Jacky enjoys fishing and hiking. 

Usim Odim is an Asset Manager covering the following regions: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Hampton Roads, Hawaii, Jacksonville, Louisville, Memphis, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Washington DC. Usim joined LISC after working for a boutique production studio.  Prior to working in film, Usim worked as an analyst for Standard and Poor’s in Public Finance and clerked in the NASDAQ on the Chicago Board Options Exchange.  Usim holds a B.A. in Economics and History from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.  He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York and loves exploring the city and competing in triathlon events. 

Zeynep joined LISC in September 2021 and serves as an Asset Manager on the Lending Team. Prior to joining LISC, Zeynep worked for Bank of America and a hedge fund in New York. Previously, she was with JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley in London. Zeynep received her MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her undergraduate degree at Bogazici University located in her hometown of Istanbul, Turkey.Zeynep is passionate about justice for People and Planet. She enjoys books, museums and traveling to as well as volunteering in biodiversity hotspots.

Richard joined LISC in January 2023 as a Senior Asset Manager in the National Lending Team. Richard was formerly a Director of Valuations and Advisory Services at JLL. He has consulted major clients on a variety of real estate matters including financial reporting, appraisals, acquisition due diligence, and asset management. He completed his undergraduate degree in Commerce in his home city at the University of Melbourne. Richard subsequently received his MBA from RMIT University. He is passionate about affordable housing and was a long-term volunteer at The Property Industry Foundation. Recent studies included Sustainable Finance at Cambridge University and is currently undertaking a Certificate in Affordable Housing at NYU.  

Robert joined LISC in January 2023 and serves as an Asset Manager in the Lending Department. Prior to joining LISC, Robert worked in affordable housing for WNC & Associates, Inc., a tax credit syndicator. He aided the asset management process by reviewing financial statements and audits. Additionally, he prepared equity contributions and worked closely with the special assets committee. Prior to WNC, Robert aided a conventional lender, Sunwest Bank, in the underwriting and credit analysis of new loans. Robert has a BS in accounting from Biola University. He lives near Los Angeles and works remotely. He has a young daughter and son and enjoys being involved in his close community
of friends.

Alice Kim is the Small Business Asset Manager at Local Initiatives Support Corporation. She joined LISC in 2020 as a Credit Risk and Asset Manager for the Small Business team before switching over to the Asset Management team in 2023. Prior to LISC, Alice started her banking career in 2013 as an Underwriter and CRA coordinator for one of the largest Asian American banks in the United States before moving on as a CRE Portfolio Manager at a New York State chartered community bank. Alice earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Sociology from SUNY Geneseo.

As Portfolio Analyst and Operations Officer, Chris expand the Lending teams' coordination, data quality analysis, and compliance forecasting. He also leads the Lending Team's coordination for annual project management KPIs. Prior to LISC, Chris served as the chief of staff to the Vanguard Group's head of Global Investment Operations, the department responsible for trade support, settlements, corporate actions, and reconciliations for all Vanguard investment products. Outside of work, Chris' interests include volunteering, reading, discovering new running routes around Brooklyn, and an unhealthy obsession with Bubble Tea and Uniqlo clothing. Chris has bachelor's degrees in Economics and International Relations from Ursinus College, a liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia.  

Lena joined LISC in October 2019 and currently serves as the Director of Loan Closing, supervising and supporting a team that handles the loan closing process, as well as loan funding. On the side, Lena also supports or leads process improvements projects, and has written and manages various procedures related to her team's functions. Prior to her role at LISC, Lena worked at Alma Bank as a loan processor in at first, and then moved to the loan closing team, in which she handled real estate loan closings for the following four years. Lena lives in New York City, and in her free time, she enjoys painting, wine tasting and going to music concerts.  

Pilar joined LISC in May 2017 and currently serves as the Director of Construction Loan Closing Management, supervising and supporting a team that manages the administration and oversight of a diverse real estate construction loan portfolio beginning at the pre-closing phase through project completion. She serves as a resource to national and local staff with LISC’s construction loan standards, policies and procedures. Prior to LISC, Pilar worked at Enterprise Community Partners Inc. as a Program Officer and in the Portfolio Services department at The Community Preservation Corporation. She holds a BA in Hispanic Studies from Columbia University. In her spare time, Pilar enjoys spending time with the family, traveling, art, listening to classical and flamenco music, going to Broadway shows and concerts.

DeQuander joined LISC in August of 2015, and currently acts as a Construction Manager and Loan Closing Officer. She supports the construction team in all aspects as it relates to construction from the onset of the loan through the completion of construction project post-closing, while working closely with various departments throughout LISC. Prior to LISC, she worked as a Real Estate Paralegal for over 15 years for New York law firms, including Rosenberg & Estis, Norris McLaughlin & Marcus and Szold and Brandwen. DeQuander holds a bachelor’s degree in civil law and political science and is currently working on her Masters of Engineering with a concentration in Construction Engineering Management. DeQuander is located in New Jersey and enjoys spending time with her two kids, cooking, and volunteering with her local soup kitchen and food pantry on the weekends.

Dana joined LISC in September 2022. She serves as a Construction Manager and Loan Closing Officer, managing the closing and disbursements of construction loans. Prior to LISC, Dana was a program manager for the state of Georgia where she developed and serviced construction loans for water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Prior to working for the state of Georgia, she worked for Jacobs Engineering as a project engineer where she worked onsite at construction projects such as the federal courthouse in Jackson, Mississippi and high school renovations in metro Atlanta, Georgia. Finally, she has eight cumulative years as a math teacher. Dana received her BA in mathematics from the University of Mississippi; a Master of Arts in Teaching from Harding University; and a Master of Science in Construction Management from Texas A&M University. Dana is based in the New York office but, lives in Atlanta and work remotely. She has two adult daughters and in my free time, she enjoys home renovation projects, cooking, and exploring new hobbies like swimming and roller skating.  

Eliada joined LISC in February 2022 as a Loan Closing Officer for pre-development loans. She supports and facilitates the loan closing process, as well as post-closing processes, working closely with Program Offices, Legal Team and Asset Management Team. Prior to LISC she worked as a loan processor for banking institutions located in New York and New Jersey. Eliada holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Economic Institute of Epirus (Preveza, Greece), as well as an Accounting degree from the New York Institute of English and Business (New York, NY). Eliada is located in New Jersey and in her free time she loves spending time with her family and taking pictures.  

Jess joined the LISC National Lending team as Credit Manager in mid-2021. In her role as Senior Credit Manager, Jess provides technical & underwriting assistance to local program staff regarding LISC’s various sources of loan subsidy and credit enhancement. She works interdepartmentally to manage applications, deployment, compliance, and close-outs of subsidy sources used in loans across the organization’s footprint. Jess also serves as a project manager for various special projects for the Lending team as the need arises.

Jess came to LISC in early 2018 to serve as the first lending-focused Program Officer for the Peoria/Central Illinois office. In addition to her lending duties, she also served as a contributing grant writer, was the office’s communications lead, and oversaw the local Section 4 program. Her background prior to LISC is in economic development, urban & transportation planning, and retail mortgage lending. Jess graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French Studies in 2009, and received a Master of Science in Community & Regional Planning from the University of Texas in Austin in 2014. 

Mina will serve as a liaison between the Lending and IT teams to migrate our internal program action system into Salesforce.  As a Salesforce Business Analyst, she will elicit, document, and analyze requirements around business challenges and communicate data-driven solutions to IT.  Mina facilitates communication between various lending functions and staff to understand the business needs of the Lending process. By conducting business process meetings, reviewing / researching process-related information and observing how lending is done, she clarifies business needs using data insight and a deep understanding of business processes and areas for improved efficiency. She further documents requirements shared with IT and participates in testing various modules with IT and Lending to identify improvements and changes.   

Paul Santanna is Vice President, National Underwriting at Local Initiatives Support Corporation where he is responsible for development and oversight of LISC’s lending pipeline and provides credit support to LISC offices and programs nationwide.  As a senior member of LISC’s Lending team, Mr. Santanna manages a team of underwriters and analysts in support of annual Board-established lending goals and participates in fund strategy and development.  Mr. Santanna previously served as Senior Vice President at Bank of America where he both managed and had oversight of a $3.5B+ community development real estate portfolio as well as structured and closed in excess of $750 million in new credit facilities.  In addition, Mr. Santanna began his career in community development at the City of Boston in various capacities at the Mayor’s Office of Housing.  Mr. Santanna received a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Political Science from Stony Brook University and a Master of Arts in Urban Affairs from Boston University.  

Yan joined LISC in June 2021 as a National Underwriter, focusing on our health and healthy food lending. Prior to joining LICS, Yan was a Vice President at Amalgamated Bank focused on structuring loans to CDFIs, nonprofits, foundations, unions, political groups, and mission-driven organizations. She was the primary underwriter focused on growing the bank's CDFI lending by underwriting on- and off-balance sheet loan funds. Before that, Yan was an underwriter at Nonprofit Finance Fund where she structured loans for nonprofits in the education, health and human service sectors including charter schools, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and New Markets Tax Credit transactions. She started her career working on small business lending at Accion USA (a CDFI currently known as Ascendus) and connecting small business owners to financing at NYC Small Business Services.  Yan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Barnard College, Columbia University.

Noam Gross-Prinz joined LISC in 2014 as a program officer in the LISC Greater Cincinnati local office. In that role he managed their lending activity and provided technical assistance to partners in support of community development initiatives. Since joining LISC’s national Lending team as a National Underwriter in 2019, he supports LISC's local staff in originating, underwriting, and closing loans for key community development projects in their communities. He also occasionally gets to directly underwrite loans to projects. Prior to LISC, Noam worked for various New York City based nonprofits and operated a nonprofit management consulting practice for two years. Noam has a B.A. in architecture and urban design from Hampshire College and a Master of Urban Planning from the Wagner School of Public Service at New York University.

Andrea Rattray joined LISC as a National Underwriter in March 2020. In addition to providing technical assistance, underwriting support and direct underwriting to local offices, she supports LISC Lending’s efforts to expand access to capital to POC borrowers. Prior to joining LISC, Andrea was a Production and Portfolio Team Lead in the Community Investment Services department at FHLBank Atlanta, providing affordable housing financing to communities across the nation. Andrea holds a Masters of City and Regional Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Her professional background and education has instilled a passion for community development and affordable housing.

Jason Zisser joined Local Initiatives Support Corporation in late 2021 as a National Underwriter and supports numerous local offices and program officers. Mr. Zisser prior roles focused on private equity investment, due diligence and capital raising. He is a graduate of Temple University where he received both a Master of Science in Finance and Real Estate, and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies. Jason’s professional interests focus on sustainable development. His hobbies include long distance bike riding, cooking, and independent films.

Juan Gonzalez joined LISC in July 2021 and serves as a National Underwriter in the Lending Department with a focus on small business across LISC geographical markets. Under this role, Juan provides technical assistance and direct underwriting support to Program Officers and Small Business Underwriters, facilitating the deployment of LISC’s full array of financing products. Formerly, Juan worked as a Small Business Asset Manager monitoring the performance, risk, and compliance of LISC’s small business loans portfolio, and establishing action plans on troubled loans. Before joining LISC, Juan worked as a Senior Loan Officer for a New York-based CDFI, administrating, and underwriting small business loans including SBA Community Advantage, as a vehicle to provide access to capital, credit counseling, and technical assistance opportunities for underserved small businesses across New York City.  

Michael Salgueiro joined LISC as a National Underwriting Analyst in June 2022. Prior to joining LISC full-time, Michael worked as a consultant for LISC’s Government Investments team and helped the organization develop an internal strategy for how it could better address the impacts of climate change in the communities with which it works. He also interned with LISC’s Housing team during the summer of 2020. Michael has graduate degrees in urban planning and public policy from the University of Virginia (UVA). He also worked as a Research Programs Manager at the Equity Center at UVA, a research center committed to locally based, community-driven research. Prior to graduate school, Michael worked as a management consultant. He grew up in Miami, FL and has Bachelor of Arts degrees in economics and psychology from Georgetown University.  

Dominique Alexander joined LISC in February 2024 as a National Underwriter, Special Assets in LISC’s Lending Department. In her role she provides direct underwriting support to local Program Officers and serves as primary Underwriter for loan restructures, amendment requests and workouts in LISC markets. Dominique Alexander has over ten years of professional experience, including commercial mortgage underwriting for CRE and C&I originations, small business finance underwriting, affordable housing finance and development analysis and merchant services risk assessment and credit analysis. Prior to joining LISC, Dominique Alexander served as Commercial Underwriter, Team Lead at Suffolk Credit Union, Commercial Underwriter, AVP at Dime Community Bank, Affordable Housing Program Analyst at Federal Home Loan Bank New York, as well as other pertinent roles. Dominique Alexander holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hofstra University. She has a keen interest in community development initiatives and enjoys participating in local outreach activities in her free time.

Lucía Valencia Zúñiga joined LISC Lending in August of 2021 as a Credit Analyst in the National Underwriting Team. Her responsibilities include managing the lending pipeline, tracking KPIs, and creating data visualization tools to improve collaboration between the Lending, Legal and Finance departments. She also works closely with staff from Treasury maintain an up-to-date catalogue of Project Profiles, which showcase loans as they close on the LISC website. Lucía is a facilitator in the Racial Equity in Lending Working Group, one of her contributions is a semi-annual report that monitors potential racial biases in the intake review process. Lucía has a Master’s degree in Economics from The New School of Social Research and Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and International Studies from the University of Denver. Lucía was born in Mexico City and was raised there and in the Houston, TX area. Now she lives in Brooklyn with her partner, and can be found cooking an elaborate meal, finding and collecting music or going on long walks with her dog, Rambo.

Steve Hall is responsible for providing lending solutions and personalized business coaching to entrepreneurs to enable them to start or grow their businesses. At LISC, he has supported the development of LISC Economic Development Lending and LISC's other lending offerings. Steve loves small businesses because he has owned or invested in several. As an entrepreneur, Steve has owned a moving company, promotional company, t-shirt company and a snow cone stand. The snow cone stand was the most profitable and generally supported Steve’s other ventures.

Jessica Hanmer is the Director of Economic Development Lending at Local Initiatives Support Corporation where she supports LISC’s small business lending activity, oversees process improvements and operations, and manages special programs, such as the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund that builds the capacity of small business CDFIs to further lend to minority-owned small businesses. She also raises grant funding for credit enhancement and directs quarterly and annual compliance reporting for LISC small business grant funds. Jessica has an MA in public administration from George Washington University, an MS in real estate development and finance from George Mason University in addition to a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Boston University.

Jay Bennett is an experienced leader with a demonstrated ability to develop strategic relationships with minority business owners and local/regional stakeholders, all while striving to make a positive social impact within traditionally underserved communities. As senior business development officer at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), he is responsible for sourcing and structuring small business loans transactions. Prior to LISC, Jay spent eight years at Advantage Capital where he originated New Market Tax Credit business loans. During that time, he had the opportunity to travel across the country sourcing new business deals. That experience taught him that minority entrepreneurs in both urban and rural communities suffered from a lack of access to flexible capital necessary to take advantage of business growth opportunities. Jay’s main priority as a social impact focused lender is to help minority business owners source “smart” capital to drive their business in creating wealth and opportunity for their families, their employees, and their communities. When not talking to business owners, Jay enjoys spending time with his wife and two kids. 

David supports LISC program offices in their small business lending and outreach efforts. With that, he brings a dedication to carrying out LISC’s mission of inclusion, a belief in the power of opportunity provided by supporting entrepreneurship, and the interest of witnessing small businesses' role in community development. David’s previous experience also centered on entrepreneurship and community resource connection, through microlending and technical assistance opportunities for small businesses.  David loves exploring through travel and music, and daily adventures with his wife, kids, and dog. 

Karen Bennett is our Small Business & Commercial Underwriter covering the Southeast and Southwest and working out of Phoenix, Arizona. Prior to joining LISC, Karen spent eight years as Vice President, Small Business Underwriting Manager at Mutual of Omaha Bank. Karen created the enterprise-wide, centralized Small Business, SBA and Consumer Underwriting Unit at Mutual of Omaha Bank supporting the branch network throughout the United States. Prior to working at Mutual of Omaha Bank, Karen was a Relationship Manager in Business Banking at Wells Fargo and Arizona Business Bank. Karen has 25 years of business lending experience and graduated from Pacific Coast Banking School.  

Vanessa Rodriguez Aguirre joined LISC in August 2020 as Small Business Program Officer and Underwriter. Vanessa has over 15 years of business banking experience ranging in roles from sales, underwriting, and administration. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from DeVry University and an MBA with a focus in Finance from Keller Graduate School. She utilizes her experience to help support small business lending and programing. Vanessa lives in the west suburbs of Chicago. She is an active volunteer in her community. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, taking care of her plants and crocheting.  

Tamara Underwood joined LISC in May 2022 as a Small Business Underwriter on the LISC Economic Development Lending Team. Prior to LISC, Tamara was a market manager at Pursuit, a non-bank SBA 504, 7a & CDFI lender operating in NY, NJ and PA. She was responsible for loan underwriting and business development. She also launched and directed a microloan and technical assistance program at NY based CDFI, Community Capital and worked in research for the European Microfinance Network based in Paris, France. Before discovering the world of small business lending, Tamara pursued a career in international development at NGO’s focused on health, agro/pastoral and community development in Africa. Tamara has a BA in Political Economy and a minor in French from UC Berkeley and an MA in International Economics & African Studies from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Lily holds an MBA from Boston University with a concentration in Non-Profit Management, and a BS in Computer Science from the University of Illinois. Lily’s previous work experience includes jobs at Byline Bank and Accion Chicago, where she worked in SBA lending and microfinance. Lily lives in the southwestern suburbs of Chicago and spends her time playing with her two young sons, reading, and playing board games with her husband and friends.

In her work at LISC, Alyssa coordinates trainings on the small business lending process, writes Lending’s quarterly newsletter, and supports the Entrepreneurs of Color Fund Program. Alyssa joined LISC with a background in equitable community development, having worked with DC's Federal City Council as a grant writer and program administrator to support DC-based public-private partnerships and Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) financing. Alyssa has a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University, where she studied English and Economics. After graduating, she taught English as a Fulbright fellow in Can Tho, Vietnam. She is passionate about supporting and building local community. She organizes with BikePOCPNW and Friends on Bikes, two groups that encourage more black and brown cyclists in the Pacific Northwest.

In her role, Michelle supports the team’s contract and grant compliance, credit enhancement tracking, monitoring small business inquiries to smallbusiness@lisc.org, and pulling credit and CLEAR reports. Michelle comes to LISC with experience in banks, cost planning, and quoting. Most recently, she worked at a furniture company where she worked with vendors and clients to provide cost estimates. She is excited to bring my background in administrative work and planning to support small businesses. She is originally from Chicago and recently moved to Fort Worth, TX. She loves all things film/television/books, including in depth interviews with creators and writers. At the beginning of the pandemic, her family watched all the movies in the MCU and now go see the latest films and tv shows together. As a side hustle, she builds IKEA furniture and help people with packing for moves.  

Charmian joined LISC in 2012 and supports the department's daily and long-term activities. She holds a B.B.A. in marketing from Pace University. Outside of work, Charmian enjoys drawing and painting, black and white movies from the 1930-1960’s and (she's a bit ashamed to admit) watching celebrity/entertainment news.