Contact Staff

Roberto Arjona serves as the Creative Services Specialist at CFED. As a key member of the Communications Team, Mr. Arjona is responsible for the visual conceptualization, design and production of CFED’s publications and communications tools. He is in charge of designing themes for new suites of products and developing digital and interactive media for CFED’s website. Mr. Arjona comes to CFED with extensive experience developing creative campaigns within the nonprofit sector. Before joining the CFED team, Mr. Arjona worked for a nonprofit media development organization that focused on the empowerment and education of underserved communities. He brings to CFED his passion for helping others become equipped with the necessary tools to improve their quality of life. Mr. Arjona holds a BA in Graphic Design from University of Maryland, College Park and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Advanced Graphic Design from Corcoran College of Art & Design.

Adnan Bokhari is CFED’s Chief Financial Officer, charged with guiding all aspects of the organization’s fiscal operations, ensuring adherence to the highest standards of nonprofit financial management. Adnan has over twelve years experience in nonprofit financial reporting, analysis, forecasting, budgeting, cash management, auditing and controls. He is a strategic thinker, effective in reorganizing, streamlining and strengthening financial operations to maximize efficiency with a proven track record of helping management and board achieve their organizational goals. His core competencies include strategic and business planning, risk management, financial statements and management reporting, regulatory compliance, internal controls, budgeting and business development.

A rising leader in the profession, Adnan was recognized as one of the top CPAs in Washington, DC by SmartCEO Magazine in 2010. He recently served on the CPA Exam scoring panel of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, being one of the 40 panelists selected from across the nation. Adnan was one of 16 accountants from the Greater Washington Society of CPAs who testified in support of the CPA mobility legislation before DC Council members in June 2011. In addition to his participation in professional activities, Adnan is an active member of the community. He is a member of the Finance Committee of Byte Back, a nonprofit organization providing computer literacy and employment readiness skills to underserved communities throughout Washington, DC. Adnan earned degrees in Economics and Accounting from Strayer University.

Elizabeth Coit is CFED’s Chief Development Officer. Prior to joining CFED, Ms. Coit led resource development efforts for the Center for Community Change, Ms. Foundation for Women, Legal Momentum and the Wilderness Society. She is recognized as a Certified Fundraising Executive, and also provides pro-bono fundraising assistance and training to several domestic and international non-governmental organizations. She serves on the Board of Friends of Action India and Invest in Knowledge-Malawi, and also coordinates pro-bono fundraising for the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for the Earth. She is a former instructor in fundraising for the Graduate School, USDA. Earlier in her career, Ms. Coit served as a program leader for the International Women's Health Coalition and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, developing health, economic and social justice projects in Africa, India and the Caribbean. Ms. Coit holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a graduate degree from Columbia University.

Parker Cohen is a Program Manager with the Savings & Financial Security Team at CFED. In this role, Mr. Cohen provides program coordination, research and writing for projects that provide matched savings accounts and other financial empowerment tools to adults and children.

Prior to joining CFED, Mr. Cohen worked as the community development manager for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers, where he provide strategic planning support to community health centers and helped establish the West Baltimore Primary Care Access Collaborative. He also previously worked to provide technical assistance to community centers in federally insured and assisted housing properties through the HUD Neighborhood Networks program.

Mr. Cohen holds a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota, and an undergraduate degree in economics from Macalester College.

Meredith Decker is a Program Associate supporting both the Applied Research and Savings & Financial Security Teams at CFED. In this role, Ms. Decker provides research and programmatic support, and conducts qualitative and quantitative data analysis for CFED’s Program and Policy initiatives. Prior to joining CFED, Ms. Decker worked as an Analyst at ICF International. While at ICF, she designed and evaluated courses on conflict resolution, asset forfeiture and the development of emergency management public-private partnerships. Ms. Decker hails from the Midwest, having served as the President of the College and Young Democrats of Iowa in 2008 and graduating with a B.A. in Political Science from Grinnell College.

Anita Drever is CFED’s Director of Applied Research. In this capacity she provides research and evaluation support and guidance to CFED’s Program and Policy initiatives and external partners, and leads projects as an evaluator, researcher, survey design expert and statistical analyst.

Before coming to CFED, she was a tenured Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a visiting scholar at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW-Berlin), and a program evaluator at the University of Wyoming Survey and Analysis Center, and at Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC). Dr. Drever’s previous research and evaluation work focused on improving program and policy outcomes for immigrants and other financially vulnerable populations. Dr. Drever has authored over a dozen peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She has received research funding from the National Science Foundation and the Social Science Research Council, among others. Dr. Drever holds a Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. in Geography from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Dara Duratinsky is CFED’s Network Associate, supporting the State & Local Policy team. In this role, Dara is the point-of-contact for the Assets & Opportunity Network and provides the Network with webpage assistance, researches and writes monthly Network e-updates, and promotes and supports other Network activities. Prior to joining CFED, Dara was an intern at ASGK Public Strategies, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the Office of Senator Durbin in Chicago. In these roles, Dara provided assistance in online-based research, social media and media outreach. Dara has also volunteered as a Community Organizer for Obama for America for President Obama’s 2012 campaign.

Dara holds a B.A. in Public Communication from American University.

Zachary Ford is CFED’s Office Assistant/Receptionist. As a member of the Operations Team, his role is to provide administrative support to all areas of CFED. He holds a B.A. in Sociology from Centre College in Danville, Kentucky.

Daniel Forkkio is CFED’s Senior Accountant. Prior to CFED, he worked as Branch Supervisor of Operations at MCT Federal Credit Union in Silver Spring, Maryland. During that time period, he worked to oversee the day-to-day reconciliations of the branch, cash supply forecasting, auditing of internal procedures in accordance with Federal Regulations, and development and implementation of a Retail Delivery Intranet. After joining CFED in June of 2010, Daniel began with the management of the Accounts Payable function, including the implementation and user training of Concur Invoice & Expense, bi-weekly cash forecasting, and maintaining grant and contract records. Currently, he serves as Senior Accountant with the primary role of Grants and Contract Compliance administrator for the Finance Team, which includes budgeting, reporting, and trend analysis.

Daniel graduated with a degree in Accounting in 2012 and plans to sit for the CPA exam in 2013.

Kate Griffin is a Senior Program Manager on CFED’s Savings and Financial Security team. Ms. Griffin oversees projects that provide matched savings accounts to adults and children to save for educational expenses, mortgage downpayments, business investments and other asset-building purposes.

Prior to joining CFED, Ms. Griffin worked in the international microfinance space. At Grameen Foundation, she ran a global program to ensure appropriate financial services were available to the world’s poorest people. Over 500,000 people gained access to tailored savings, credit, and livelihood services as a result of this program. She also worked extensively in the legal and regulatory space while at the IRIS Center at the University of Maryland. She is published widely in the microfinance field and serves as an adjunct faculty member teaching microfinance at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

Ms. Griffin holds a B.A. in international studies from Kenyon College and an M.A. from American University’s School of International Service.

Kori Hattemer is a Program Manager with the Savings & Financial Security Team at CFED. In this role, Ms. Hattemer provides writing, research and program coordination for projects that provide matched savings accounts and other financial empowerment tools to adults and children.

Prior to joining CFED, Ms. Hattemer worked as a Policy Research Assistant for the Center for Public Policy Priorities, where she co-authored an annual report on child well-being in Texas and researched factors that affect family economic security. She also worked as the Program Director for the American Lung Association, where she managed community initiatives for the Greater Austin area.

Ms. Hattemer holds a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where she also completed her undergraduate degree.

Joanne Irby is CFED’s Chief Operating Officer. In this role she provides leadership to key internal and external activities, including strategic planning, organizational performance management, Board of Directors staffing and support, human capital management and internal infrastructure. Ms. Irby partners with CFED’s President to plan and prepare for future growth and coordinate strategic responses to emerging programmatic and organizational opportunities. Previously, she served as CFED’s Director for Human Resources and Administration, with a focus on the recruitment and ongoing development of a diverse and superior workforce. Prior to joining CFED she was the Compensation & Benefits Manager for the Association of American Medical Colleges, handling such issues as total rewards strategies, performance management, compliance, and training and development. Other work experiences include The George Washington University, and the Advisory Board Company.

Ms. Irby received a Bachelor's degree in Industrial & Labor Relations from Cornell University and holds Senior Professional in Human Resources and Compensation Management Specialist designations.

Lisa Kawahara is the Executive Assistant for Bob Friedman and Office Manager for CFED in San Francisco, CA. She also manages a small family foundation whose giving focus is economic development. Prior, she was self-employed, working with nonprofit community organizations and foundations.

Ms. Kawahara received an Associate's degree in Business Management and furthered her studies at New College in San Francisco.

Niya Kight serves as the Resource Development Staff Associate at CFED. As a key member of the Development Team, she is responsible for prospect research analysis, individual donor fundraising and database management. Niya successfully restructured a database management system which resulted in individual donor fundraising plan and increased quality control.

In this role, Niya also serves as corporate liaison between the development and finance department to manage an efficient grant and contract management system.

Prior to joining CFED, Niya worked as a manager at Irislee, Inc. in Chestnut Hill, MA, where she was instrumental in the planning, production and launch of the Boston Basketcases online store.

Niya holds a Master of Business Administration with a specialty in Entrepreneurship from Towson University, and is a graduate of Boston College, holding a Bachelor of Arts in Human Development.

Irina Krivosheenko is an Accounting Associate at CFED. She provides a variety of complex daily and periodic tasks to support CFED's accounting and finance functions.

Before joining CFED, Ms. Krivosheenko was interning in the accounting department at Resources for the Future, a nonprofit organization in Washington, DC.

Irina is a graduate of George Mason University's School of Management, where she majored in Accounting.

Susan Krupka is Special Assistant to the President at CFED.

Wes Lin is CFED’s Human Resources Generalist, in charge of shaping and implementing an HR strategy that develops and nurtures our current staff and brings top talent to the organization. In this role, Wes focuses on performance management, learning and development, diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition and total rewards.

Prior to CFED, Wes worked for OCLC, a global non-profit library sciences and technology firm where he helped to build a new diversity and inclusion program from the ground up and revamp the talent and performance management strategy. Wes also worked in the non-profit sector doing child welfare social work with The Buckeye Ranch in central Ohio, where he helped reunite dozens of families and help protect their children from abuse, neglect and harm. Wes’ recruiting experience comes from his time as a professional recruiter with Aerotek, the nation’s largest privately held recruiting firm where he sourced and managed 150 contractors placed with Fortune 500 companies in the Columbus area and around the nation. Wes was also the principal human resources officer at an IT startup that focused on small contracts for local government agencies in Columbus, Ohio.

Wes earned his Master of Labor and Human Resources from The Ohio State University, where he also completed a B.A. in Psychology. As a DC native and former Ohio transplant, Wes brings to the organization his East Coast attitude that has been tempered with some Midwest charm.

Shira Markoff is a Senior Program Manager on CFED’s Savings and Financial Security team. Ms. Markoff oversees projects that provide matched savings accounts that enable low-income children and adults to save for a first home purchase, higher education expenses and business start-up or expansion.

Prior to joining CFED, Ms. Markoff worked as a Program Manager for Seedco, where she managed a portfolio of six government and private grant programs, totaling over $2.2 million annually. She worked with community-based organizations across New York City to implement programs that helped low-income families access government benefits such as SNAP and Medicaid, assisted taxpayers in receiving the EITC and other tax credits and provided job training and placement assistance. Ms. Markoff also served two years as an AmeriCorps VISTA at New Jersey Community Development Corporation, where she helped to implement and manage an IDA program.

Ms. Markoff holds a B.A. in history from Rutgers University and a Master of Public Policy degree from American University.

Donnise McWeay is CFED's Meetings & Operations Coordinator.

Jennifer Medina is CFED’s State and Local Policy Manager, where she supports the Assets & Opportunity Network, a movement-oriented group of policy advocates, practitioners and other stakeholders working to broaden adoption and deepen the impact of asset-based strategies. She also helps manage CFED's annual Assets & Opportunity Scorecard, contributing to in-depth policy research and documentation of state and local progress related to a range of policies focused on asset building, asset protection and equitable economic development.

Previously, Ms. Medina served as a Program Specialist for the Assets for Independence (AFI) Program at the Department of Health and Human Services. White at AFI, she provided technical assistance to nonprofit organizations and state, local and Tribal governments implementing individual development account (IDA) projects for low-income families saving to purchase a home, start a business or pursue postsecondary education. In addition to monitoring the use of federal grant awards for these IDA projects, she also managed several contracts and other projects to expand asset-building services across the country, including within Indian country. Jennifer has studied and worked in Chile and traveled extensively throughout South America and other parts of the world.

Ms. Medina holds a Bachelor of Arts in history, with a concentration in global development from Grinnell College, a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, and a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Chile.

Timothy J. Murphy is CFED’s Network & Systems Administrator. Mr. Murphy holds an assortment of certifications in the Information Technology field. At CFED, he is part of the IT Team that works to ensure that Staff have everything they need to help create a simple user experience with advanced technology.

Mr. Murphy served in the United States Marine Corp from 2004 to 2008, serviing in the current conflicts in the Middle East, as well as in Southeast Asia. After his four-year stint, Mr. Murphy attended University of Maryland, where in 2011 he graduated with a B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice. He is currently undertaking a second degree with a B.S. in Computer Networking and Security and Master Program in Information Technology Project Management with a focus in Information Security from University of Maryland.

Emanuel Nieves is Policy Associate at CFED, working with the Government Affairs Team. In this capacity, he provides research, writing, event coordination as well as assisting the Government Affairs team’s effort of building the capacity of the Assets and Opportunity Network to conduct advocacy on asset building issues at the federal level. Before joining CFED, he worked as a policy assistant at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation where he was responsible for the coordination of LISC’s local office advocacy efforts in Washington, D.C. as well providing support to the staff on an array of housing and community development federal issues.

Emanuel has a bachelor's degree in political science from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

Lebaron Sims is a Senior Research Associate at CFED. As a member of the Applied Research team, Mr. Sims provides research, data analysis and writing support for the Assets & Opportunity Scorecard and I’M HOME Initiative. He also assists in conducting CFED’s upcoming outcome evaluations in shared equity housing. Most recently, Mr. Sims was a Research Associate at LISC MetroEdge in Chicago, IL, where he provided technical support, analysis and data visualization for local economic development initiatives in cities across the country.

Mr. Sims holds an M.A. in Urban Affairs from Loyola University Chicago, and a B.A. in Economics from California State University, Fresno.

Devin Thompson is CFED’s Deputy Director of Development. In that role, he oversees key functions and creates systems to ensure the smooth operation of the resource development office. As the manager of CFED’s grant-writing staff, he ensures that the organization is responsive to the needs and interests of funders and maintains strong and productive relationships between those funders and CFED’s program departments. He also crafts grant proposals and reports for the Applied Research and Assets & Opportunity Programs.

Prior to joining CFED, Mr. Thompson was Associate Director of Capital Area Asset Builders (CAAB), a leading asset-building services nonprofit in the Washington, DC Metro Region, where he developed and executed the organization’s annual fundraising plan. While at CAAB, he also served as a strategic partner for the Executive Director, developed and executed the organization’s communications plan, oversaw the daily operations and financial processes including oversight of Individual Development Accounts (IDA) and managed the DC Earned Income Tax Credit Campaign.

Mr. Thompson holds a B.A. from Princeton University.

Inola Walston is the Organizational Advancement Officer, responsible for working with program and executive staff to craft grant proposals and reports. Before joining CFED, she served as a Development Officer for the Home Safety Council in Washington, DC. Her experience spans nearly 14 years in the nonprofit field where she has applied her writing skills at such venerable organizations as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. In addition, Inola has worked extensively with the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribal Nation of Bridgeport, Connecticut in their bid to receive federal recognition for their tribe.

Ms. Walston is a graduate of Louisiana State University with a B.S. in Interior Design.

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