Jeannine Jacokes

Jeannine has been the chief executive officer of the Community Development Bankers Association since she founded it in 2001. She leads the association's policy and advocacy efforts and has been an instrumental force in shaping the community development finance sector since Congress created community development financial institutions in 1994. Through her stewardship, CDBA's steady voice has been a driving force behind the growth of CDFIs and minority depository institutions and has been a leading ally in supporting their mission to bring capital to underserved communities.

Jeannine served for more than six years as a senior member of the management team at the Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, which became the nation's leading investor and funder of community-based financial intermediaries and traditional banks and thrifts engaged in community development finance activities. While at Treasury, Jeannine was a leader in designing and implementing fund programs and establishing the systems for its operations.

She joined the CDFI Fund after serving as a senior policy advisor for the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. During her five years with the committee, she played a key role in drafting many of the laws that currently govern the Department of Housing and Urban Development's programs, as well as monitoring and providing oversight of federal regulatory agencies that administer laws affecting the availability of credit in underserved markets. 

Jeannine is also the chief executive officer of Partners for the Common Good, a certified community development loan fund that partners with lenders to build affordable housing and community facilities. CDBA is a separately governed affiliate of Partners, but they share the same mission, work together in pursuit of common goals, and often speak in a unified voice. 

Jeannine received a master's degree in urban planning from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and her undergraduate degree from Aquinas College.