My name is Christi Narayanan and I am running for election to the OFN Board. Will you please vote for me?

I have been an active participant in the CDFI industry (and with OFN since OFN’s inception) and can bring very specific and useful experience to enhance the Board. I have served on several OFN Board Committees (as a non-board member) through the years including Governance, Public Policy, Membership, and Conference Planning. I am running for election to further support OFN through the next critical years as I have expertise with CEO transitions and bring with me the voices of small to mid-sized CDFIs in the Mid-West – an area not fully represented on the OFN Board.

As noted, I have extensive experience with CEO transitions – from a small coalition in Michigan, to a multi-billion dollar wholesale bank (Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis.) I have extensive experience with public policy, education and advocacy at all levels, local, state and national; I have routinely joined OFN and the national CDFI Coalition on Hill visits and assisted with the creation of the first ever Michigan CDFI Fund! Please see the Coalition’s Endorsement Letter! I have wide-ranging experience in convening collaborative groups including the Detroit CDFI Coalition, the in-formation Michigan CDFI Coalition, and the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan.

We are in a pivotal year with the spotlight on CDFIs as we very successfully powered through PPP lending and navigated the world-wide pandemic while serving those traditionally left out of mainstream finance. My experience and voice (and the voices of those I bring with me) allow for full participation in working for continued growth and scale of ALL CDFIs. Please take a moment to read my candidate statement and hopefully I will see you in New York next week.

If you are not attending the conference, you can and should still vote because your voice should be heard and every vote counts! Please email Alba Castillo (acastillo@ofn.org) to learn how to submit your vote.

Thank you so much for considering me for an OFN Board seat!