Board of Directors

Rick Benito is a retired senior vice president and national SBA executive at Bank of America. In that role, he supported the bank’s national Small Business Administration (SBA) sales and support teams. Mr. Benito joined Bank of America in 1995 after 7 years at Wells Fargo, having served in a variety of roles at both banks. Mr. Benito’s previous career experience included the Xerox Corporation and serving as a Lieutenant in the United States Navy.

Mr. Benito was active in Bank of America’s Community Volunteer Network serving as leader of the Military Support and Advisory Group in San Diego. He has served on a number of boards and other civic organizations with a focus on education, veterans’ issues, and economic development. He completed the Consumer Bankers Association Graduate School of Retail Bank Management program at the University of Virginia and is a graduate of LEAD San Diego. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Valparaiso University in Indiana.

Alaina is the Executive Vice President of the Black Economic Alliance (BEA) Foundation, the nation’s leading organization harnessing the collective expertise and influence of Black business leaders and to advance work, wages, and wealth across the Black community. Before joining BEA Foundation, she served as the Assistant Vice President for Urban Affairs in the Office of Federal Relations at the University of Chicago, where she was responsible for driving action on the University’s research, scholarship, and models of urban investment through engagement with policymakers and national partners. She is the founding director of Urban America Forward, an annual program that convenes practitioners from across the country who are committed to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion in America’s cities.

Previously, Alaina served the Obama Administration as Associate Director for the White House Office of Urban Affairs. In that role, she laid the foundation for President Obama’s urban office by identifying models to make cities more sustainable, competitive, and inclusive. She was also a Principal at The Raben Group, a prestigious public policy and advocacy firm in Washington DC. Alaina began her career as a voting rights attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund and Advancement Project. She went on to serve on the 2008 Obama for America Campaign as the National Deputy Director for African-American Outreach. In that role she developed the national campaign strategy for engaging African-American voters and grass-top leaders. Alaina is a graduate of Stanford University and University of Michigan Law School.

Erik Caldwell is the CEO of Metropolis IQ Technology, Inc., an innovative artificial intelligence company providing economic and workforce development insights to local governments. Before founding Metropolis IQ, Erik served as the Vice President of Data Strategy at The Atlas, leading the development and launch of buyer intent and market intelligence products.

Mr. Caldwell brings extensive experience in local government, having held positions as Chief Sustainability Officer, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, and Economic Development Director for the City of San Diego. In these roles, he leveraged data analytics to promote a culture of data-driven decision-making, significantly advancing sustainable practices and economic development in the region.

Sheryl Cameron is the Executive Director for the SBA Solutions Group at JPMorgan Chase. She has over 42 years of banking experience, the last 28 specializing in SBA lending. Sheryl oversees sales and operation teams that provide support for SBA products offered by Chase. In addition to her work with Momentus, Sheryl sits on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Government Guaranteed Lenders (NAGGL) and National Association of Development Companies. Sheryl has been an instructor for NAGGL for over twenty-two years. Previously, she was a member of the NAGGL Technical Issues Committee and Large Lender Committee along with serving as Committee Chairperson for the Automation Committee.

Sheryl is also an accomplished speaker. She has designed and facilitated access to capital seminars at multiple Chase for Business events. The seminars provide valuable insights to small business owners on how to use credit to grow their business and manage cash flow. In addition, Sheryl is a frequent speaker at industry conferences covering a wide range of topics. Sheryl graduated Summa Cum Laude from Western International University with a Bachelors degree in Finance.

Ellis Carr is the President and CEO of Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance. Mr. Carr has more than 20 years of experience in the for-profit and nonprofit financial sectors. He became President & CEO of CDC Small Business in 2021 and has served as President and CEO of Capital Impact Partners since 2016, originally joining Capital Impact as CFO in 2012.

Prior to joining Capital Impact Partners, he held various positions in the investments, capital markets, strategy, and corporate finance areas within Freddie Mac, and in fixed-income fund management both domestically and abroad at Deutsche Bank. Mr. Carr is an Aspen Institute Finance Leader Fellow and sits on the boards of the Marguerite Casey Foundation, the Expanding Black Business Credit Initiative, and the Housing Partnership Network, as well as Morgan Stanley’s Community Development Advisory Board.

Mr. Carr has been recognized among the “Most Creative People in Business” by Fast Company, and has received multiple awards from the Washington Business Journal, including “Nonprofit Leader of the Year” in 2022 and being named to its “Power 100” list in 2023 and 2024. Mr. Carr graduated from Towson University with a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, and from Georgetown University with a master’s degree in Real Estate with a concentration in Finance.

Kurt Chilcott is the retired President and CEO of CDC Small Business Finance, the leading non-profit small business lender in the country. Kurt is also the Co-Founder of Momentus Capital, a one of a kind innovative collaborative among a range of non-profits – including Capital Impact Partners and CDC Small Business Finance and their affiliates – providing capital and comprehensive community and economic development nationwide.

Prior to leading CDC, Mr. Chilcott worked for the City of San Diego to help reshape its economic development strategy creating one of the first industry cluster-based regional economic development strategies in the nation and leading the revitalization of numerous underserved communities throughout San Diego. Kurt is a servant leader and passionate advocate for economic justice leading innovative initiatives to address inequities in our communities. He was recently elected as the first San Diego-based Board Chair of the California Endowment one of the largest health equity foundations in the country.

Kurt has led a wide range of national and state organizations and associations including the International Economic Development Council, California Association for Local Economic Development, National Council for Urban Economic Development and the National Association of Development Companies. In San Diego he has served on the Boards of Casa Familiar, Southeast Economic Development Corporation, Museum of Us, Naval Training Center Foundation and many more. Kurt has received most of the accolades that older people tend to receive. Kurt holds a degree in social anthropology from Harvard and a Masters in Public Policy from UC Berkeley. At heart he is a wanderer, a poet, a lover of the land and its inhabitants.

Grace Chionuma is the Co-Head of the Housing and Community Development Finance Group within Public Finance Banking at Morgan Stanley and a member of the Municipal Securities Operating Committee. She leads Morgan Stanley’s capital markets coverage of CDFIs, Non-Profit Affordable Housing Developers, and charter schools. Ms. Chionuma served has led several CDFI debt IPOs including for Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Enterprise Community Loan Fund, Low Income Investment Fund, and BlueHub Loan Fund. She has worked with Freddie Mac on affordable housing securitizations and Freddie Mac’s first issuance under its Social Bond Framework which financed affordable housing loans.

In addition, she has worked with foundations including the Ford Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation to raise capital from institutional investors to increase grants during the COVID-19 and economic crisis of 2020. Ms. Chionuma earned her B.A. at Dartmouth College, completing majors in both Government and Philosophy; and she earned her M.B.A. at Yale University School of Management.

Gary Cunningham is a Senior Advisor for the New Schools Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy, where he leverages his extensive experience to address economic inequalities. Previously, Mr. Cunningham was the President and CEO of Prosperity Now. Under Mr. Cunningham’s leadership, Prosperity Now focused on moving from just mitigating the effects of a broken racist system to transforming that system by testing, investing, and scaling what works. Mr. Cunningham is a recognized and respected expert on entrepreneurship, job creation, and racial wealth equity and is a sought after thought leader on issues related to building a more inclusive economy.

Prior to joining Prosperity Now, he served as President and CEO of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association in the Twin Cities, where he was recognized as an innovator in minority business development. Earlier, Mr. Cunningham held senior leadership positions in philanthropic, community development, health care, housing, and transportation organizations. Mr. Cunningham earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from Metropolitan State University, and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He serves on a number of Boards including the Association for Enterprise Opportunity, First Children’s Finance, and Artspace.

Jennifer Smith Dolin is the founder and principal of a real estate consulting firm specializing in real estate project management (LITC, HUD 202 projects) and organizational development. She has clients in California-based community development corporations, national real estate development non-profits, and Bay Area social service organizations. She is the interim vice president of real estate at Christian Church Homes, a national non-profit that provides housing to seniors. She is the Jobs Committee Chair at ICA Cristo Rey School in San Francisco, a low-income girls’ high school. She is the former Board Chair for National Cooperative Bank, N.A. (NCB).

She previously served as the Vice President of Operations for Mercy Housing California, managing resident social services, commercial retail development, and relocation services for low-income multi-family housing. Her commitment to community revitalization began in New York City, where she worked in the economic development department of Breaking Ground. She received her BS in Business from Santa Clara University and a certificate of completion for non-profit management at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

Casey Fannon is CEO & President of National Cooperative Bank and leads its Executive Council, a team of senior managers representing business development units and functional areas across the company. Since joining NCB in 1996, Mr. Fannon has dedicated his entire career to National Cooperative Bank and has served as its President since March 2020. Prior to becoming President, Mr. Fannon was Chief Lending Officer and has worked in new product and market development, commercial real estate, capital markets, and has managed NCB’s loan and deposit production across all NCB’s customer segments.

Mr. Fannon currently serves on the Board of Directors of Capital Impact Partners, a national Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), and The National Grocers Association (NGA), a national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers nationwide. Mr. Fannon received a BS in Finance from Bentley University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder.

Mr. Goitia is a retired Partner from KPMG LLP US. During his 32-year career at KPMG, he held various leadership positions and provided audit, internal audit, and advisory services to clients in the financial services, structured finance and mortgage banking industries. Specifically, he led the asset securitization group, served as account representative for several large local and national securitization and mortgage banking clients and managed multi-year engagements involving risk management processes, financial reporting processes/controls and compliance testing of credit agreements.

Throughout his career, Mr. Goitia was heavily involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives, serving as Partner Champion of the D.C. Area Hispanic Latino Network and Trustee of the KPMG Foundation. Mr. Goitia earned a B.S.B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis in 1983 and a Master’s Degree in Accountancy from the George Washington University in 1984. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Gail Markulin is a retired Director of Capital Markets for the Federal Home Loan  Bank-Office of Finance (FHLBank). Ms. Markulin worked at FHLBank for more than 27 years, serving in  various capital markets positions. Ms. Markulin served on the Board of Directors for Aspire! Afterschool Learning for six years and is currently an Emeritus Board Member.

In addition, Ms. Markulin was actively involved as a volunteer tutor and mentor with AHC, Inc., a nonprofit  affordable housing developer of low- and moderate-income housing in Virginia, Maryland and  Washington, D.C. Separately, Ms. Markulin is actively involved in the outdoors and volunteers as a hike leader for Northern Virginia Hiking Club. Ms. Markulin earned an M.B.A. in Finance from George Washington University and a  B.A. from Pennsylvania State University.

Tyler Orion is Co-Founder and Officer of Precision Healthcare Ecosystem, a nonprofit pioneering a new model of healthcare focused on patient education and empowerment, primarily through its flagship program, Project Apollo. Ms. Orion has decades of experience in enterprise development and business incubation. She served as interim President and COO of CONNECT, having served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Diego Regional Technology Alliance (RTA) until its merger with CONNECT in 2005. CONNECT is a technology business accelerator dedicated to the creation and sustained growth of innovative, science-based companies.

She has served on numerous boards for companies and non-profit organizations and has been recognized by San Diego Business Journal and others for her leadership in the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. Ms. Orion earned her M.B.A. in Health Services Management from Webster University, her bachelor’s degree from Thomas A. Edison College, and studied Drama/Directing at Carnegie-Mellon University.

Tom Topuzes is President and CEO of Thomas Topuzes & Associates, a consultancy that provides a wide range of services to organizations in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. He and his firm advise clients across the United States and Mexico on strategic planning, trans border commerce, financial institution regulatory relations, and more. His professional experience includes executive roles at multiple banks, government service as the Region XI SBA Administrator and within the Office of the Governor of California, and private legal practice.

Mr. Topuzes has been deeply involved in his community, serving as director, trustee, advisor or founder to over a dozen leading organizations in sectors as diverse as banking, education, health, local, state and national agencies, and economic development. He received his bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University and his J.D. from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. He also holds an associate’s degree from San Diego Mesa College. He served in the United States Air Force and is an active member of the State Bar of California.