Vikki Frank is the founding director of Credit Builders Alliance - an innovative social enterprise nonprofit creating new solutions for financially underserved families in the U.S. to build credit and assets. She has 15 years experience creating wealth building and anti-poverty solutions for international, national and community-based organizations throughout the Americas and Africa. Vikki comes to CBA from the Department of Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund where she helped certify and underwrite federal funding for CDFIs as well as strengthen Native CDFIs. Prior, Vikki worked at the Latino Economic Development Corporation as business program manager and IDA coordinator. She then worked nationally with US Department of Health and Human Services to help nonprofits build their capacity to offer effective financial education, IDAs, and asset building in underserved communities. Vikki has built the capacity of over 600 community-based organizations through phone/email technical assistance, site visits, training, and consulting. She is recognized for her expertise in adapting mainstream asset-building strategies to diverse population. Vikki has been an active member of the Assets Alliance and also co-investigator with the Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis at the University of Southern California to expand university participation in asset building. She holds an undergraduate degree from McGill University and a policy degree from Columbia University.

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Elvira Solanes recently joined in February 2010 and is responsible for providing leadership and management oversight of CBA Reporter and CBA Access programs, as well as grants management. Elvira has more than five years of non-profit work experience, ranging from the World Bank in Washington D.C. to the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. During her three years working for Women’s Initiative for Self Employment, an award-winning San Francisco based microenterprise development organization, she had the privilege of supporting high-potential low-income women entrepreneurs’ start their own businesses. She led and implemented three successful programs: WI Microloan Fund, First-Time Leaseholder Grant and the IDA Program. Elvira received her BA in Business Administration from Universidad Diego Portales in Santiago, Chile, holds an MBA from San Francisco State University, and is fluent in Spanish.

Katie Igrec Lima, Communication Specialist

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Katie Igrec Lima joins CBA with a background in U.S. microfinance. She began as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at ACCION Chicago in 2000 and was most recently a program officer at the national microenterprise development trade organization, Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO). At AEO, Katie managed several projects including the eBay Foundation Techquity Program. Katie leads CBA’s marketing and communications efforts including developing publications, managing website contents and utilizing social web tools. In addition, she brings a background in fundraising and demographic research to CBA. Katie is an avid supporter of local farmers and businesses (“buy local”), volunteers at the FRESHFARM Markets in Baltimore and enjoys traveling to destinations near and far. She holds a BA in Sociology/Anthropology from Hiram College in Ohio and a MA in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago.

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Ross Kawakami joins CBA to help us expand our product and service delivery to an increasing field of nonprofits involved in microenterprise development, financial services and financial education. Ross comes to CBA from the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), where he helped to advocate for federal funding and legislation to support microfinance activities in the U.S. Prior to AEO, Ross worked in the United States Senate office of Senator Daniel Akaka of Hawaii (Dem) on legislative initiatives involving small business, banking and finance issues. Ross holds a BA in Business Administration from the University of Hawaii and an MBA from The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

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Ryun Miller joined CBA in January 2008. Ryun is the lead on providing ongoing support to our members on all aspects of CBA Reporter. Prior to joining CBA, he worked with a housing developer in St. Louis, Missouri, coordinating the construction and financing of historic houses. Additionally, Ryun taught English as a Second Language in Brooklyn, NY at the Academy of Urban Planning. In his free time, Ryun enjoys traveling to Nicaragua and Ecuador, playing soccer, and rehabbing his home. He holds a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Washington University in St. Louis, MO.