Relive the 2021 OFN Conference – Highlights, Photos, Recordings and More
From October 19–21, 2,500 CDFI staff and partners, investors, funders, policymakers, students, and other advocates from across the country joined together virtually for three days of inspiring speakers, 30+ engaging breakout sessions, and networking opportunities as we work together to #FinanceJustice and #FinanceChange in our communities.
OFN is pleased to offer all 2021 OFN Conference plenary and breakout session recordings on-demand on the event platform until October 2022. You can use your same login credentials from the live event to continue accessing the event platform. Registration will remain open for those who did not previously register.
Check out our 2021 OFN Conference playlist on YouTube for quick access to the recordings linked below. Also check out our Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3 albums on Facebook for photos from the event!
Event Highlights
- Welcome remarks from Lisa Mensah, President and CEO, Opportunity Finance Network
- “Investing in Justice: What Have We Learned, Where Do We Go from Here” featuring Brian Moynihan, Chairman and CEO, Bank of America
- “Building a More Equitable and Inclusive Economy” featuring Janet Yellen, Secretary, U.S. Treasury
- “Promoting Greater Opportunity and Equity in Rural America” featuring Tom Vilsack, Secretary, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- “What’s Next for CDFIs and the SBA?” featuring Isabel Casillas Guzman, Administrator, U.S. Small Business Administration
- “Building an Inclusive Economy: Google’s Commitment to CDFIs and Small Businesses” featuring Ruth Porat, Senior Vice President and CFO, Alphabet and Google
- “A Conversation with CDFI Champion Mark Warner (D-VA), U.S. Senate”
- Presentation of the 2021 Ned Gramlich Lifetime Achievement Award for Responsible Finance to Susan Tachau, Co-Founder and President of Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation, with an introduction by Representative Madeleine Dean (D-PA)
- Video featuring 2020 Native CDFI Catalyst Award winner, Cook Inlet Lending Center, with an introduction by Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), U.S. Senate
- Remarks from 2021 Native CDFI Catalyst Awardee, Northwest Native Development Fund (Ted Piccolo, Founding Director)
- Remarks from 2021 Native CDFI Seed Capital Awardee, Spruce Root (Alana Peterson, Executive Director)
- Day 3 Opening Plenary and OFN Membership Meeting, featuring Jodie Harris, Director, CDFI Fund
- “Building Today’s Momentum into a Lasting, Inclusive Economy” featuring CDFI leaders Lakota Vogel, Executive Director, Four Bands Community Fund; Donna Gambrell, President and CEO, Appalachian Community Capital; Bill Bynum, Chief Executive Officer, HOPE; and Marla Bilonick, President and CEO, National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB)
- 30+ engaging, expert-led breakout and networking sessions across seven tracks: Resilience and Climate, Financing and Development Strategies, Native CDFIs, Policy and Communications, Growth and Sustainability, Equity and Accountability, and Capitalization and Fundraising
- 7 “Meet a CDFI Borrower” videos featuring CDFI clients across America
- Virtual Expo featuring info about products and services offered by OFN Conference sponsors
We thank all those who joined us for the live event! As OFN President and CEO Lisa Mensah shared in her opening remarks, “Change is hard; it is all encompassing and requires all of us. CDFIs are allies with others in the fight for an America that fulfills its promise of equality and freedom for all.”
Also, special thanks to our sponsors for making our virtual OFN Conference possible again this year.
If you attended the 2021 OFN Conference and haven’t done so already, please take a few minutes to complete our event evaluation. Your feedback directly impacts our planning for future events — including the 2022 OFN Conference in New York City, October 17–21! We hope to see you in person next year!
