Dwayne Rankin
Community Development Loan Officer, Florida Community Loan Fund

Dwayne Rankin underwrites community and economic development loans for FCLF’s commercial loan programs and provides technical assistance to borrowers throughout Tampa, West and Southwest Florida. Mr. Rankin brings 20+ years of commercial lending, economic development finance and community development expertise to FCLF. His experience includes working for both nonprofit lending organizations and regional banks. Mr. Rankin worked as a Relationship Manager for Citizens Bank, a regional bank based in Providence Rhode Island, where he helped large corporate clients by providing loans and banking services. He also worked as the Chief Lending Officer for Bridgeway Capital, a Community Development Financial Institution based in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, where during his nearly 8 years with the organization helped to invest $100 million into low-income communities.

Mr. Rankin is dedicated to helping to bring opportunity and dignity to people and places outside the economic mainstream.

Sam Chesser
South Florida Vice President, Self-Help Credit Union

Sam Chesser is the South Florida VP at Self-Help, a family of nonprofit organizations which includes a CDFI loan fund, two CDFI credit unions, and the National Center for Responsible Lending, which protects consumers from predatory financial practices. Self-Help’s mission is creating and protecting ownership and economic opportunity for all, especially low-wealth families, communities of color, women, children, and immigrants, as well as on clean energy and affordable housing. Sam has worked in the nonprofit financial sector for 30 years. In his spare time, Sam is also the Artistic Director of a community theater in Miami.

Audrey Aradanas
Deputy Director, Miami Homes For All

Audrey Aradanas is a passionate advocate for youth and families experiencing housing insecurity. She serves as the Deputy Director at Miami Homes For All (MHFA), a nonprofit organization whose mission is to ensure every Miami-Dade resident has a safe, affordable place to call home. Aradanas is a Filipino American born in California and spent her early childhood in the Cayman Islands. Since 2023, she has served on the Florida Supportive Housing Coalition board. In 2020, she was a member of Miami’s Next Leaders, and in 2019, she was a Community Scholar in Affordable Housing. She is a proud triple Florida International University graduate, earning her dual Bachelor’s degrees in 2016 and her Master’s in Business Administration in 2022.

Lia Yaffar-Pena
Executive Director, Community Fund of North Miami Dade

Lia Yaffar-Pena is an independent consultant in the areas of Strategic Thought Partnership and Execution. She is an entrepreneurial-minded, self-motivated, multilingual/cultural, strategic thinker and problem solver, focused on innovating and improving processes by thinking critically, strategically, and creatively.

Lia’s experience spans over 25 years in the area of Financial Services, including positions of various levels of responsibility in the retail and private banking, brokerage, and investment advisor platforms including HSBC Securities, Espirito Santo Bank, and Charles Schwab. The positions she has held include responsibility for leading sales teams, managing P&L, as well as strategy design and implementation of products platforms, pricing, and execution. She has served on the Board of Directors of a Florida Chartered bank, Broker/dealer, and Investment Advisor. She currently serves as Director on the Board of the Salvadoran American Humanitarian Foundation (SAHF), a Florida non-profit organization whose mission is to help the underserved in El Salvador through human development programs.

Lia received a Bachelor in Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Miami and a MBA from George Washington University. She is a native speaker/writer in English and Spanish, fluent in French, and has working knowledge of Portuguese. She holds several FINRA Investments licenses as well as Agent Insurance License.