From June 16-18, more than 90 CEOs of Black-led Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) alongside funders, policy makers and industry partners from across the country, will gather for three days of programming at The Westin New Orleans. The ONWARD 2026 Annual Conference is hosted by the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs. The organization’s president and CEO, Amber Banks, joins us this week to help us learn more about how CDFIs work, what they can do for people, and how they’re fighting back in today’s challenging climate.
about
Amber Banks is president and chief executive officer of the African American Alliance of CDFI CEOs, leading the organization into its next era of impact. Appointed in 2026 as successor to founding leader Lenwood V. Long Sr., she advances economic justice and wealth-building for Black communities nationwide, providing capital, capacity building and advocacy for Black-led community development financial institutions (CDFIs).
Banks’s tenure with The Alliance spans nearly a decade. She joined as a senior management strategist, launched and directed the Black Renaissance Fund to close the capital gap for Black-led CDFIs, and as chief operating officer built the infrastructure and funding streams that positioned the organization for sustainable growth. She also serves as principal consultant for Ventura Consulting Group, a nationally recognized firm specializing in CDFI capacity building and lending operations.
She brings 18 years of commercial lending expertise across community banks, CDFIs and mission-focused lenders, including roles as chief operations officer of the Carolina Small Business Development Fund and senior credit positions at Mechanics and Farmers Bank, USAA Bank and Bank of North Carolina. Banks holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance, a certificate in community development finance from Opportunity Finance Network, and completed Harvard Kennedy School’s Performance Measurement for nonprofits program. She serves as board chair of Reinvestment Partners.
