Bank On WA Forum Program

Session A
Welcome & Intention Setting

• Jennifer Quiroz, Financial Empowerment Network
• Mandy Lee, Verity Credit Union
• Jenefeness Franke, Fiscal Finesse
• Thushari Gooneratne, JPM Chase

Session B
Opening Session: The State of Financial Belonging in Washington

What is financial belonging? The keynote session will cover how government, nonprofits, financial institutions, and small business owners can work with the community to improve belonging across sectors, industries, and shared purposes. Speakers’ insights on building collaborative and equitable partnerships will provide a powerful framework for advancing financial belonging throughout Washington and will set the tone for the conversations to follow. 

• Mandy Lee, Verity Credit Union
• Korbett Mosesly, WA Department of Commerce, Community Reinvestment Project
• Shawn Paton, United Way of Pierce County
• Jill Vicente, BECU

Session C
Working Lunch: Community Reinvestment Project - Financial Coaching & Mentorship Spotlight

Hear from 3 organizations offering services as part of the Community Reinvestment Project Financial Coaching & Mentorship project and learn about opportunities for collaboration and partnership across the state. 

• Mandy Lee, Verity Credit Union
• Korbett Mosesly, WA Department of Commerce, Community Reinvestment Project
• Shawn Paton, United Way of Pierce County
• Jill Vicente, BECU

Session D
Reimagining Financial Services for the Justice-Impacted Community

Millions of people in the U.S. are justice-impacted and many struggle under the heavy financial burdens associated with the criminal justice system. In this session, we invite our panelists and audience to reimagine financial services for the justice-impacted community. Learn how to form better, stronger cross-sector partnerships, and develop actionable goals to increase financial access and equity.

• MindaMichelle Mattox, WSECU
• Derek Lane, Lane Consulting
• Jerrel Jones, Credit Revolution Education Directors
• Anna Ripich, Key Bank
• Jenny Glass, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

Session E
Achieving Native Financial Empowerment: The Power of Sovereignty

Join us for an interactive conversation with Native leaders at the grassroots, regional, and national levels to discuss the challenges of financial empowerment for Native communities. We will share the stories of personal work, hear about innovative programs, and the power of self-determination for people who have called this place home for hundreds of generations.

• Andrea Alexander, NW Native Asset Building Coalition
• Mark Bowman, Affiliated Tribes of NW Indians
• Rhonda Holland, Port Gamble S'Klallum Tribe Housing Authority

Session F
Leading Models in Equitable Banking 

We know that banking can feel exclusive and uninviting for some communities. But some institutions have found ways to embody financial belonging. We’ll hear from institutions about the models of equitable banking they have implemented and how they got there. In this interactive session, we’ll ask to hear about your equitable banking practices, and we’ll explore what else we can implement in our own organization. 

• Elizabeth Escobar, Express Credit Union
• Jenefeness Franke, Fiscal Finesse
• Francis Janes, Beneficial State Foundation
• Tamra Marlowe, Chehalis Loan Fund

Session G
Welcome Day Two 

• Jennifer Quiroz, Financial Empowerment Network
• Becky House, American Financial Solutions
• Jerrel Jones, Credit Revolution Education Directors
• MindaMichelle Mattox

Session H
Breaking Barriers: Solutions and Pathways to Banking  

This session will identify key barriers to banking access for marginalized groups, and then hear from a panel of financial institutions and community-based organizations on the work that they are doing to better connect people to banking services. Participants will leave with new strategies on building pathways to better connect underserved populations to banking services.

• Cherish Flint, WECU
• Erwin Reeves, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
• Skye Rozon, Asia Pacific Cultural Center
• Cristina Serra, WaFd Bank

Session I
Designing with Community Voice: Impactful People-focused Financial Conversations  

How do we know our financial empowerment services are having the intended impact? Answering that question is an important part of program design. Join us as we discuss the challenges and benefits of delivering services with community needs at the center of the design.

• Thushari Gooneratne, JPM Chase
• Andy Manthei, Greenpath
• Devin Stubblefield, Faith Finance Center

Session J
Creating Pathways for Youth Financial Literacy: Empowering Schools and Communities  

How can we ensure that financial education for youth in schools is not only possible but also impactful? This session will explore how accessible, high-quality, and inclusive resources make implementing financial literacy programs in schools achievable. Join us to discover how embracing these tools can empower you to advocate for financial education in your community and help bring these vital programs to school districts. 

• Tracy Godat & Miladys Garcia, Financial Education Public Private Partnership
• Mya Saez Flores, Financial Empowerment Network
• Lynn Willis, United Way of Pierce County

Session K
Inclusive Lending: Lessons Learned from Industry Innovators 

Hear from industry experts who have implemented inclusive lending and flexible underwriting practices. We’ll explore the Black Homeownership Initiative (BHI) underwriting recommendations, special purpose credit programs, the Underwriting for Racial Justice project led by Beneficial State Foundation, and other inclusive lending practices. While we will focus on models in the homeownership field, we will also explore how they can be replicated in your field and organization. 

• Erin Klika, WA Dept. of Financial Institutions
• David Puszczewicz, WSECU
• Ali Sheibani, Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King & Kittitas Counties
• Sabrina Smith, Umpqua Bank

Session L
Storytelling is Policy Advocacy 

While we enjoy our lunch, join us for a presentation and light conversation about our roles in shaping the stories we share with decision makers. What is your story? How will you tell the story of Bank On WA? Join us to learn how to turn these ideas into concrete next steps. 

• Molly Gallagher, Statewide Poverty Action Network
• Ryan Davis, Financial Empowerment Network

Session M
Beyond the Forum: Realizing Financial Belonging 

Call to action! Throughout the forum we have heard from leaders about innovations in financial belonging and reimagined our work. Together we’ll reflect on our take-aways, advance opportunities to collaborate, and take the first steps needed to implement solutions beyond the forum. 

• Jenefeness Franke, Fiscal Finesse
• Thushari Gooneratne, JPM Chase
• Mandy Lee, Verity Credit Union

Ali Sheibani is the Director of Homeowner Services at Habitat for Humanity of Seattle-King and Kittitas Counties.
His professional lending experience started in 2006, but he found his passion for non-profit work in affordable homeownership at Habitat in 2013.

Through his work at Habitat and then at HomeSight (2015-2021), a Washington Community Development Financial Institution, he has had the opportunity to support 1st generation homebuyers in creating wealth and opportunity for their families. As HomeSight’s Portfolio Manager, Ali helped to create an ITIN loan product as well as HomeSight’s first Race Based Special Purpose Credit Program loan product to support Black first-time homebuyers.

Ali has also been involved with the Black Home Initiative as one of the facilitators of the Lending and Underwriting Subgroup. This subgroup was able to present underwriting recommendations to help lenders with the creation of effective mortgage products to address the specific needs of Black borrowers.

ANDREA ALEXANDER, MAKAH
Andrea Alexander, Makah Tribal Member is active in the Northwest Native Asset Building Coalition providing financial literacy training and housing support to reservation based and urban native people. Andrea serves on the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) that delivers grants & low interest loans to rural communities. She is also a founding board member for the newly formed Washington State Native American Chamber of Commerce. Andrea has experience with diverse community economic development organizations: Executive Director of the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians, Governor’s Office on Indian Affairs, and the Makah Tribal Government. Andrea gained philanthropic experience through First Nations Development Institute, Director of Grants Social Justice Fund Northwest, Philanthropy Northwest Grantmakers of Color and is the founder of the Potlatch Fund. Andrea attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, worked in the family business, Frankin Institute of Sales, a sales, and management training firm that helped to open doors for her early corporate marketing career: Victor Business Products, IBM, Nordstroms, KMJK Radio & KISW Radio. Andrea loves sports Seahawks football and spending time with her large extended Coastal based family that all hail from Neah Bay, Washington to Newport, Oregon.

Becky House is the Director of Strategic Initiatives at American Financial Solutions (AFS). In her role she oversees the organizations strategic partnering, housing counseling programs, financial education initiatives and grant processes. In 2021, Becky was awarded the National Foundation for Credit Counseling’s (NFCC) Agency Innovation Award for financial education programs. In 2019, she was awarded the Educator of the Year award, by the NFCC. Becky serves as President of the Board of the Financial Empowerment Network and as co-Chair for Bank On Washington. She has over 25 years of experience in program development in nonprofit organizations.

Becky is certified as a financial educator through the National Foundation for Credit Counseling and holds a bachelor’s degree in business management and psychology. She is often quoted as an expert advisor for media outlets such as U.S. News and World Report and ABC, NBC, CBS, and Money Magazine (Time).

Cristina Serra has led WaFd Bank’s Retail Deposit Products since 2017 and was instrumental in launching their Fresh Start account (Bank On Certified account) and Secured Credit Card. In her more than 20 years in banking, Cristina has been in various roles in Retail, Small Business and Treasury. Cristina is serving as Board Member for the Financial Empowerment Network (FEN) since 2024. Born and raised in Peru, she immigrated to the United States in 2001 with her parents and siblings. She is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Derek Lane completed undergraduate studies at Oakwood University, graduate work at MS State University in Leadership, and certification with NELI - the Nonprofit Executive Leadership Institute at Sanford University. He serves as Outreach Ministries Director for the Washington Conference, Pastor of the Maranatha church in Seattle and President of the Lane Consulting Group. Lane Consulting has generated over $20 million in funding and provides start-up, capacity-building, and grant-writing workshops for clients throughout the U.S. He has served as a pastor, community engagement specialist and fundraiser for the past 30 yrs. and is a contributing author to the 2022 devotional book, Let Justice Roll. He is married to Mae Aldridge-Lane and they have four adult children and one five year-old granddaughter, Zoe Abigail.

Devin Stubblefield is a national financial coaching trainer and educator working with organizations to build the capacity to deliver financial coaching programs. Devin has trained more than 500 organizations nationwide, enhancing the skills of financial coaches, financial services professionals, and banking and credit union professionals. He has contributed to the evolution of the content for the CFPB Your Money, Your Goals financial empowerment toolkit and the development, launch, and progression of the Financial Coaching for Prosperity training used by agencies and financial opportunity centers across the country.
In his role with Faith Finance Center, Devin and his team provide financial empowerment training, entrepreneur development, and introductory coding training for high school students in King County.

Elizabeth Escobar has 13 years of experience at Express CU, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and Low-income Designated Credit Union. As Chief Business Officer, she oversees Business Development, Marketing, Partnership and new account fulfillment for the Credit Union. She loves hearing member stories and working with community groups to identify needs then create products and services that meet them. Prior to Express CU, Elizabeth worked at a Savings and Loan Cooperative in Paraguay as a Rural Economic Development Volunteer with the Peace Corps. Elizabeth also serves as the Board Chair for a nonprofit based in South Park Seattle, a neighborhood she also calls home.

Erin Klika is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Director for the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI). This role was established in the fall of 2021 to support equity, for all who call Washington home, in the financial system DFI regulates. Erin co-creates with community and industry and continues to produce outcomes ranging from expanding awareness of down payment assistance to supporting access to opening deposit accounts.

Erin brings 25 years of experience in the field of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). She started her career in community lending and education at a CDFI. She later ran a statewide technical assistance program. She led supplier diversity programs at the state, which included working across multiple agencies, statewide policies, and establishing an advisory group to include a DEI lens in how work happens.

Erin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, with an accounting concentration and a minor in Dance, from the University of Washington.

Erwin Reeves is a Community Affairs Specialist with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation San Francisco Regional Office. In this role he assists community stakeholders create relationships that bolster the economic inclusion of low-income communities in Northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Mr. Reeves provides technical assistance in creating and implementing strategies, fostering strong multi-discipline collaborations, and optimizing community engagement opportunities consistent with the Community Reinvestment Act regulations and community development best practices.

Mr. Reeves has over 30 years of experience working in community and economic development throughout Northern California as a community banker, nonprofit board member and a community stakeholder. A consummate collaborator he fosters partnerships among banks, philanthropists, community-based organizations, and municipal service providers to elevate mutually beneficial economic development strategies whether working with regulators, community representatives, frontline employees, executive management, or elected officials.

Mr. Reeves has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Jackson State University and has completed the National Community Development Lending School held at UC Berkeley, Strategy for Non-Profit Organizations at Stanford Graduate School of Business and is a graduate of the masters’ level extension program through the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington.

Jenefeness Franke is a dynamic leader, financial strategist, and the Founder of Fiscal Finesse Consulting. With over two decades of experience in economic development, financial education, and business coaching, Jenefeness is a trusted advocate for marginalized communities. As the 2024 Economic Development Advocate of the Year, she has championed financial empowerment and equitable entrepreneurship through her work with Black-Owned Business Excellence (BOBE) and beyond. Jenefeness also serves as the Project Director for the Community Reinvestment Plan Asset Building Project with United Ways of the Pacific Northwest, where she drives initiatives focused on building economic opportunities for Black, Latine, and tribal communities. Her passion for creating sustainable solutions, coupled with her experience as an educator and social justice advocate, make her an engaging and insightful emcee and panel moderator.

Jennifer Quiroz is the Executive Director of the Financial Empowerment Network (FEN). Jennifer has over 20 years’ experience in nonprofit programming, focused on gender-based violence, immigrant communities and financial empowerment. Prior to taking on this role in 2021, Jennifer was previously involved with FEN as a partner organization while managing the YWCA’s Economic Resilience Initiative in South King County, where she worked as and supported a team of financial educators and coaches. Jennifer co-developed the Hope and Power for your Personal Finance classes for survivors of domestic violence in 2006 and facilitated classes in English and Spanish for 10 years with partners throughout King County. Jennifer received her BA in Human Services from Western Washington University and her Master of Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University. Jennifer lives with her husband, two kids and tiny dog in Renton.

Jenny joined the SF Fed Community Development team in December 2022. She is working to advance solutions that address the needs of low-income communities and communities of color by working with partners such as financial institutions, community-based organizations, and government entities to understand and address community development issues.

Previously, Jenny was the Community and Economic Development Director at Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments where she focused on issues like rural housing production, access to affordable childcare, land use and transportation planning and economic development. Jenny also has extensive experience in the non-profit sector as she was the founding Executive Director of The Rosewood Initiative in Portland, Oregon.
Jenny lives in Salem, Oregon with her family. They love to explore parks and nature together, go on neighborhood bike rides and make pizza.
 

Mandy Lee is passionate about building equitable communities and disrupting poverty. Their journey began in high school, where they saw the impact of racial discrimination firsthand while tutoring second graders with different reading levels. Since then, they started a small business and worked in the non-profit sector for a decade. At United Way, Mandy focused on strengthening nonprofit capacity through community impact and volunteer engagement before transitioning to community impact through economic and financial well-being initiatives to help close the racial wealth gap.

Now at Verity Credit Union, Mandy is committed to creating cross-sector partnerships that are informed by the voices of people with lived experiences to pave the way for innovative economic solutions and generational wealth. With their team, they are growing Verity’s financial wellness program so people feel confident in their knowledge and skills to make the best decisions for themselves and their communities.

During the pandemic, Mandy and their family moved to Tacoma, WA, in search of a more diverse and inclusive community where they all can thrive.

My name is Miladys Garcia. I am the Special Population Program Supervisor for the Financial Education Public-Private Partnership (FEPPP). I graduated from New York University with a double major in Early Childhood Special Education/Early Childhood Education and Spanish Literature with a concentration in Latin American Studies. In my role with FEPPP, I support financial education for foster, un-homed, incarcerated youth, as well as alternative learners, dual language, migrant/multilingual, Native, and special education students. These are our underserved students who often face barriers to achieving academic and financial success. I am passionate about supporting financial education in underserved communities, as I know how needed and impactful financial education is for financially vulnerable individuals. Prior to working with FEPPP, I held the position of English-to-Spanish translator/interpreter for different social service agencies. I also worked as an early intervention specialist.
I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. I moved from New York City to Washington State on October 2022 to fill my current role with FEPPP. I am loving my Washington experience and feel fortunate to work for an agency (FEPPP) that prioritizes traditionally forgotten students and communities.

MindaMichelle Mattox is a lifelong Educator; she's taught and facilitated workshops for all ages, for 30+ years. Minda Michelle presents on topics closest to her heart: Financial Wellness, and Equity & Social Justice. Her passion is that People of Color be well versed in matters of personal and business finance. She collaborates with others to ensure that communities of Color have the tools & resources to build generational wealth.

Ryan Davis is the Director of Training & Coalition Building with the Financial Empowerment Network. Ryan has been passionate about economic justice issues since starting as a Financial Coach and Credit Counselor in Skagit County. Since joining FEN, Ryan has had the pleasure of building collaborative friendships while designing workshops and communities of practice.

Ryan is a dedicated optimist and believes in the power of people. With the right people in the room, anything is possible. Thank you for joining us for two days of great conversations and big ideas!

With over 20 years of industry experience, Thushari currently serves the city of Tacoma as the Community Manager for JPMorgan Chase. Her mission is to empower underserved and marginalized communities in Tacoma by helping them build generational wealth and close the racial wealth gap. Alongside a team of experts, she leads racial equity initiatives that create positive social impact and foster economic development in the community. She is committed to strategically improving the current state of Tacoma's consumer and business landscape by providing access to financial education, resources, and opportunities.

Take Charge Consulting provides trauma-informed, wealth building financial education, coaching and consulting to underserved communities. They are on a mission to reduce the racial wealth gap by empowering individuals to leverage credit as a means to build wealth with a focus on homeownership and entrepreneurship.
Tierra Bonds started Take Charge in 2017 after noticing the need for credit education and seeing that most credit repair companies appeared to be a scam. Her trust from the community, lived experiences and learned credit knowledge have allowed her to help thousands throughout the country on their wealth-building journeys.
Take Charge reaches those in need on an individual level; and also through partnerships with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, The Seattle Public Library, city governments and others that allows them to provide these services to those who may not have the ability to pay.
Outside of Take Charge, Tierra is a foodie, lover of travel, and dog-mom who has recently upgraded to real mom.

BOWA 2024 Planning Team and Volunteers

Abby McCutcheon, Workforce Snohomish

Alex Yang, Bank of America

Angela Ewen, NW Native ABC

Barbara Maxwell, Blue Mountain Action Council

Becky House, American Financial Solutions

Cristina Serra, WaFd Bank

Daniel Jean Baptiste, Beneficial State Bank

Derek Lane, Lane Consulting

Erin Klika, Department of Financial Institutions

Erwin Reeves, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Edith Tate, Opportunity Council

Jenefeness Franke, Fiscal Finesse

John McKenney, Office of the Treasurer

Linda Taylor, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle

Liz Myntti, Lower Columbia CAP

Lynn Willis, United Way Pierce County

Mandy Lee, Verity Credit Union

Maria Sennett, Beneficial State Foundation

Miladys Garcia, FEPPP

Mya Sáez Flores, Financial Empowerment Network

Mymy Bhatia, Financial Empowerment Network

Ryan Davis, Washington Asset Building Coalition

Thushari Gooneratne, JPM Chase

Tierra Bonds, Take Charge CC

Jerrel Jones, CRED

Angela Williams, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle

Michael Dennis, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle

Leslie Cherry, Bank of America

Abigail Leong, FUSE WA

Donna O'Connor, Hopelink

BOWA Steering Committee 2023-2024

Andrea Alexander, NW Native ABC

Tierra Bonds, Take Charge Credit Counseling

Ashley Davis, 1st Security Bank

Ryan Davis, Financial Empowerment Network

Elizabeth Escobar, Express Credit Union

Angela Ewen, NW Native ABC

Miladys Garcia, Financial Education Public Private Partnership

Thushari Gooneratne, JPM Chase

Becky House, American Financial Solutions

Daniel Jean-Baptiste, Beneficial State Bank

Jerrel Jones, Credit Revolution Education Directors

Derek Lane, Lane Consulting

Mandy Lee, Verity Credit Union

Erin Klika, Department of Financial Institutions

Megan Managan, WA Bankers Association

MindaMichelle Mattox, WSECU

Barbara Maxwell, Blue Mountain Action Council

Abby McCutcheon, Workforce Snohomish

John McKenney, Office of the Treasurer

Suzanne Nester, First Financial Bank

Paulette Payne, Solid Ground

Scott Prior, Connections Credit Union

Jennifer Quiroz, Financial Empowerment Network

Erwin Reeves, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Jared Schapiro, Workforce Snohomish

Maria Sennett, Beneficial State Foundation

Cristina Serra, WaFd Bank

Tim Studlack, 1st Security Bank

Kayla Stufflebeam, Connections Credit Union

Linda Taylor, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle

Jenefeness Franke, Fiscal Finesse

Angela Williams, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle

Lynn Willis, United Way Pierce County

Richard Woodard, Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle

Alex Yang, Bank of America

While there is incredible wealth in Washington, there is a huge divide between those with opportunities to build wealth and pass it to future generations, and those who lack access. Historically, Black, Indigenous, and other people of color have been more likely to experience exclusion and extraction from financial systems, barriers to participation in financial services, and heightened mistrust of financial institutions. Understanding the disproportionate obstacles faced by these communities is key to rebuilding trust and creating financial belonging for everyone.

We have seen some successes, with decreasing numbers of people who are un- and underbanked. Unbanked means they do not have a checking or savings account; underbanked means that they have an account but also use alternative financial services, such as a check-casher, payday loan, or purchase money orders outside of their financial institution.

However, according to the 2021 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, there is a staggering disparity between White and Non-White households.

Lacking access to mainstream financial services is expensive; according to a study by the CFE Fund, individuals without a checking account will pay $40,000 in their lifetime in financial services fees. In most cases these are the individuals and families who can least afford to shoulder that cost burden.

According to the Prosperity Now Scorecard, 22% of Washingtonians experienced liquid asset poverty in 2021. This means that they do not have savings and would struggle to pay for their household expenses for 3 months with a loss of income.