The Aspen Institute

About This Event

Ten years ago, when the Responsible Business Lending Coalition was founded, the nation was experiencing dramatic changes in the small business financing landscape, stemming in part from market adjustments after the Great Recession. Ten years later, the forces driving change are accelerating. The growth in new technologies, including AI; the aftermath of the COVID pandemic; and unprecedented growth in new small businesses starting are only some of the factors shaping the market.

Yet the challenge remains: how do we harness the power of technology and innovation to drive greater prosperity and inclusion for small business owners, while ensuring that financial products support small businesses rather than undermine them?

Join us on March 24 to hear and share perspectives from lenders, investors, policymakers, small business owners, and advocates about how to build a financing market that truly works for small businesses. This event will feature three moderated conversations highlighting key trends, opportunities and challenges in the small business financing market, followed by a reception that will provide the opportunity for attendees to explore this issue in greater detail with fellow stakeholders.

Agenda

3:00PM —— Welcome

• Joyce Klein
• Louis Caditz-Peck

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3:10PM —— A Conversation with Michael Barr

• Michael Barr 
• Joyce Klein

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3:45PM —— Panel:  Driving Innovation in Small Business Lending

• Luz Urrutia
• Jacob Haar
• Phil Goldfeder

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4:25PM —— Panel: Ensuring that Innovation Benefits Small Businesses: The Role of Guardrails

• Hal Martin
• Cailey Locklair
• Carolina Martinez
• Awesta Sarkesh

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4:55PM —— Closing Remarks

• Joyce Klein

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5:00PM —— Reception and Informal Discussions

• Louis Caditz-Peck

Speakers

Michael Barr

– Federal Reserve Board of Governors

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Phil Goldfeder

– Chief Executive Officer, American Fintech Council

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Cailey Locklair

– Maryland Retailers Alliance, Maryland Association of Chain Drug Stores & the Maryland Food Industry

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Hal Martin 

– Policy Economist and Director, Small Business Credit Survey Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

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Carolina Martinez

– Chief Executive Officer of CAMEO Network

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Awesta Sarkash

– Public Policy Director, Small Business Majority

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Luz Urrutia

– Chief Executive Officer, Accion Opportunity Fund

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Louis Caditz-Peck

– Executive Director, Responsible Business Lending Coalition

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Jacob Haar

– Co-founder and Managing Partner, Community Investment Management

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Joyce Klein

– Senior Director, Business Ownership Initiative, The Aspen Institute

Sponsors

We thank our colleagues at Community Investment Management for their generous support of this event.