Inspire - Fed Communities

Inspire

Working toward a more equitable economy takes skill, empathy, time, and a lot of heart. Here, members of the Fed’s Community Development team share what inspires and motivates them.

When an opportunity to work at the Fed opened, I jumped at the chance to be a part of developing research. I enjoy thinking about what questions people are attempting to answer, and how our research informs that.

Samantha Porter

,

Philadelphia Fed
Read more: Samantha Porter unites applied research and outreach in her community development work
There is a lot of talent in underserved communities and it’s important to provide them a seat at the table. We can’t undervalue or overlook their experiences.

Javier Silva

,

New York Fed
Read more: Javier Silva elevates the perspectives of Spanish-speaking communities around climate resilience and health economic outcomes
A priority that drives my work is to amplify people’s voices – not to be their voice.

Erika Bell

,

Richmond Fed
Read more: A rural foundation for success in community conversation
We facilitate connections between data and analysis, as well as the relationships within communities.

Nishesh Chalise

,

St. Louis Fed
Read more: Nishesh Chalise connects research and community perspectives through equity work
It’s important to have people with a passion for community development serving on the CRA exam side so we can help banks think about how their activities can be more impactful.

Jessica LeVeen Farr

,

Atlanta Fed
Read more: Bank examiner Jessica LeVeen Farr bridges community development and regulatory worlds
In the future, I hope I can continue to serve our communities and the public and improve outcomes on a bigger scale by making a difference in our region.

Jane Santa Cruz

,

Dallas Fed
Read more: Collaboration and service motivate Jane Santa Cruz’s community development work
I work to identify the economic barriers to community resilience and create solutions to meet the needs of low-wealth and underserved throughout the Southeast.

Dr. Dontá Council

,

Atlanta Fed
Read more: Dr. Dontá Council brings awareness to disaster impacts in under-resourced communities
There is a reason the Fed does this work. The reason we talk about economic mobility is because it’s important for economic growth. And it’s really important for good, inclusive, and resilient economies.

Ashley Putnam

,

Philadelphia Fed
Read more: For Ashley Putnam, creating change starts with listening to the voices in the community
I think that community development is a process of reclaiming our own narrative and our stories. It’s not something out of reach for my relatives in Indian Country – to be able to support economic development and use tribal governance and sovereignty of tribal nations to chart our own economic prosperity and future.

Heather Sobrepena

,

Minneapolis Fed
Read more: Heather Sobrepena honors ancestry, people, and places in her Indian Country work
I’m trying to better understand which low- and moderate-income populations are in a more stable situation and how they got there. What can we do to expand those types of opportunities?

Steven Howland

,

Kansas City Fed
Read more: Natural curiosity has always kept Steven Howland focused on ‘community’
I’m always learning. The diversity of our District at the New York Fed, coupled with the diversity of the topics, keeps the work fresh.

Tony Davis

,

New York Fed
Read more: Tony Davis emphasizes the health benefits of improving people’s environments
We ‘set the table’ in our communities by focusing on how we can create a safe and neutral environment where people feel included to discuss issues that affect them.

Tracy Choi

,

San Francisco Fed
Read more: Through community engagement, Tracy Choi makes space at the table for others
I am motivated by the untapped potential of people in our communities and the heroic efforts of individuals and organizations to unlock that potential.

Mike Eggleston

,

St. Louis Fed
Read more: Mike Eggleston bridges communities through collaborative research, partnership building
I focus most on how we can build on or add to research practices where we make sure to get how the economy is playing out in people’s everyday lives.

Julie Siwicki

,

Atlanta Fed
Read more: Julie Siwicki works to raise communities’ voices in Fed research
Coming to the Fed was an opportunity to translate research and make language accessible so practitioners could understand and run with it.

Gar Kelley

,

Chicago Fed
Read more: Gar Kelley uses faith and experience to influence economic potential in underserved communities
I love that I get to meet individuals who are passionate about helping their communities. It energizes me to watch and experience the good happening in our world.

Marycruz De León

,

Dallas Fed
Read more: Forging cross-sector partnerships, Marycruz De León helps improve education and workforce outcomes, and promotes digital inclusion
I was thrilled to find that my love for data, statistics, and social sciences could be combined in a way that had a social impact.

Alaina Barca

,

Philadelphia Fed
Read more: Alaina Barca uses research to highlight economic opportunities
Through my professional experiences, it has become clear just how important it is to share the voices of real people with policy makers to help inform their decision-making.

Charly van Dijk

,

Atlanta Fed
Read more: A business approach drives Charly van Dijk’s professional work
Partnerships can make credit more accessible and, in turn, small businesses—and the families and communities they support—more successful.

Maria Thompson

,

Cleveland Fed
Read more: With outreach and data, Maria Thompson builds bridges between small business owners and lenders
We want our work to help tear down systemic barriers that have disproportionally affected Indian people, who are often invisible to the larger population.

Casey Lozar

,

Minneapolis Fed
Read more: Casey Lozar works to be a resource for the Native American community
We needed a regional strategy to strengthen our community development work, rather than everyone working in our own siloed spaces.

Neelu Panth

,

St. Louis Fed
Read more: Neelu Panth finds common challenges among communities and entrepreneurs across the globe
People don’t see each other as rivals. They are people working to serve the families in their communities, and they want to know what the Fed can do to help them.

Samantha Evans

,

St. Louis Fed
Read more: Samantha Evans brings the Fed’s community development expertise home to Toad Suck, Arkansas
I really wanted to get more experience on the ground, working directly with people and understanding and supporting the goals they’re looking to achieve.

Edison Reyes

,

New York Fed
Read more: Unexpected lessons from a world away helped New York native Edison Reyes find his calling
It really is humbling to hear how people are trying to help one another.

Bonnie Blankenship

,

Cleveland Fed
Read more: With a foundation of housing expertise, Bonnie Blankenship builds impactful relationships across Ohio and Kentucky
In either data analytics or journalism, we’re trying to tell a story.

Lucas Misera

,

Cleveland Fed
Read more: Regardless of the medium, supporting small businesses is Lucas Misera’s business
Being neighbors means knowing you are valued, in whatever forms that takes.

Vijay Palaparty

,

Board of Governors
Read more: A children’s icon informs Vijay Palaparty’s sense of community
It’s like we have two Bay Areas: one where people have opportunities, and one where people are working hard to get ahead, but economic, social, and educational systems are failing them.

Bina Shrimali

,

San Francisco Fed
Read more: Through research, Bina Shrimali strives to understand and right factors that hold people back
Academically, I was in the top 10 percent of African American students in the nation. Not one time was I told anything about owning a business, owning a house, owning stock.

Dell Gines

,

Kansas City Fed
Read more: Dell Gines helps communities build support systems for entreprenurs and small businesses owned by people of color
We couldn’t control what the government was doing to us, but we can control how we treat each other.

Marija Bingulac

,

Boston Fed
Read more: Marija Bingulac’s commitment to overturning inequities is bound(ary)less
Turning our backs on young children costs a lot. If we invest in those resources early, there’s a strong public return.

Rob Grunewald

,

Minneapolis Fed
Read more: Preschool as economic development? Researcher Rob Grunewald shows how and why it makes sense