Angela Bolden named part of Caren S. Franzini Fellowship Class of 2020

CDFA Press Release: March 26, 2020

CDFA Announces 2020 Class of Caren S. Franzini Fellowship: CDFA Continues Legacy of Caren S. Franzini through Four Outstanding Development Finance Professionals 

Columbus OH – The Council of Development Finance Agencies is honored to announce the 2020 class of the Caren S. Franzini Fellowship. Join CDFA in congratulating these four women:

• Angela Bolden, Program Officer, Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), Peoria, Illinois
• Alessandra Desiderio, Development Officer, Colorado Lending Source, Denver, Colorado
• Tiffany McClelland, Economic Development Director, Lorain Port Authority, Lorain, Ohio
• Megan Sullivan, Executive Director, Vermont Economic Progress Council, Montpelier, Vermont

“CDFA is proud and honored to recognize Angela, Alessandra, Tiffany and Megan as our second class of Caren. S. Franzini fellows. These inspirational women represent rising, talented stars in the development finance world and we are thrilled to welcome them into the CDFA family.” states Toby Rittner, DFCP and President & CEO of CDFA. “Over the next year, we will challenge our four fellows to explore development finance with the energy, passion and dedication demonstrated by my good friend and mentor, Caren Franzini. Her legacy lives on through this fellowship and we are proud to honor her memory while helping to brighten the professional future for women throughout the country.”

The Caren S. Franzini Fellowship was established in 2017 by the CDFA Board of Directors to recognize the exemplary leadership of Caren Franzini, a past President of CDFA and former CEO of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA). During her career, Caren was dedicated to the advancement of development finance best practices, education, and advocacy.

Recognized by her peers and colleagues as “simply the best,” Caren brought a high level of mastery and acumen to her work. Her commitment to the development finance industry is evident in the numerous programs created and the billions of dollars of investment that she catalyzed during her tenure at NJEDA. She was equally passionate about building leaders and experts in the field as she was about financing businesses and expanding economic growth and job creation for New Jersey communities.

The Caren S. Franzini Fellowship was created to build leadership positions for women in the field of development finance and to inspire them to embody Caren’s spirit and professionalism. Franzini Fellows are given the opportunity to work directly with CDFA through a one-year program aimed at developing perpetuating female leadership in the field of development finance. Each class of Franzini Fellows will collaborate on a project of significance to the development finance industry and present it to a national audience. Collectively, their work will showcase expertise in development finance and the power of women-led initiatives. Visit the Caren S. Franzini Fellowship webpage to learn more.

The Council of Development Finance Agencies is a national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests. CDFA is comprised of the nation’s leading and most knowledgeable members of the development finance community representing public, private and non-profit entities alike.

For more information about CDFA, visit www.cdfa.net