About

Community Advisory Council

Capital One established the Community Advisory Council (CAC) in 2013. The CAC is a forum where Capital One convenes leaders from the nonprofit sector twice a year to learn about and provide feedback on the company’s strategy, products and services—especially those related to underserved communities.

We believe cross-sector partnerships can deliver powerful results in addressing issues such as socioeconomic mobility—but only if the organizations have shared priorities and work collaboratively to advance a common goal.

“As a new Capital One leader, I was so excited to learn about our Community Advisory Council,” said David Rabkin, Head of Business Cards and Payments. “I value the opportunity to hear directly from community representatives who have such a deep understanding of the needs of small businesses. They reiterated what we know to be true—great products alone aren’t sufficient; we also need to make sure they’re accessible to a wide spectrum of small businesses and help customers be successful with those products.”

The CAC reflects Capital One’s commitment to working with the community to create products and services that meet the needs of consumers and communities who have not always been well served by traditional banks, including low- and moderate-income individuals, individuals from historically underrepresented racial and ethnic identities, immigrants and microenterprises.

In 2022, business leaders sought input from CAC Members about initiatives that are meant to promote socioeconomic mobility for our customers. For example, leaders invited feedback on Capital One’s exploration of innovative new platforms to provide credit to small business owners in low and moderate income communities who have been historically underserved. Capital One is focused on researching and operationalizing targeted programs to work with community partners and others to provide wraparound support beyond financing to these business owners—to create the conditions for success that help level the playing field and close gaps in opportunity. CAC Members shared several ideas about how to deliver technical assistance that is tailored to the unique needs of businesses of different sizes and tenures as well as across industries.

Community Advisory Council 2024 Member List*

  1. Association for Enterprise Opportunity | New Delegate Forthcoming

  2. Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development | Barika Williams, Executive Director

  3. Black Economic Alliance | Samantha Tweedy, Executive Director

  4. Catalyst Miami | Zelalem Adefris, Executive Director

  5. Center for Responsible Lending | Michael Calhoun, President

  6. Commonwealth | Tim Flacke, Executive Director

  7. Consumer Action | Anna Flores, Executive Director

  8. Enterprise Community Partners | Lori Chatman, President

  9. Fifth Avenue Committee | Michelle de la Uz, Executive Director

  10. Financial Health Network | Sarah Gordon, Chief Market and Business Development Officer

  11. FinRegLab | Melissa Koide, CEO and Director

  12. GreenPath | Kristen Holt, President and CEO

  13. Hope Credit Union | Pearl Wicks, Executive Vice President and COO

  14. UnidosUS | Lautaro "Lot" Díaz, Vice President, Housing and Financial Empowerment

  15. HousingNOLA | Andreanecia M. Morris, Executive Director

  16. Inclusiv | Cathie Mahon, President and CEO

  17. Latino Economic Development Center | Emi Reyes, CEO

  18. Local Initiatives Support Corporation | Seung Kim, Senior Vice President, National Programs

  19. Mission Asset Fund | José Quiñonez, Founder and CEO

  20. National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders | Marla Bilonick, President and CEO

  21. National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development | Seema Agnani, CEO

  22. National Consumer Law Center | Lauren Saunders, Associate Director, D.C.

  23. National Urban League | Cy Richardson, Senior Vice President for Economics and Housing Programs

  24. Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners | Justine Zinkin, CEO

  25. NeighborWorks America | Marietta Rodriguez, President and CEO

  26. Opportunity Finance Network | Harold Pettigrew, President and CEO

  27. PeopleFund | Gustavo Lasala, President and CEO

  28. Prosperity Now | Marisa Calderon, President and CEO 

  29. Rising Tide Capital | Alex Forrester, COO and Co-Founder

  30. SaverLife | Leigh Phillips,  President and Chief Executive Officer

*Updated July 2024