The Aspen Institute

Nancy Santiago Negrón (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) has joined Philadelphia-based Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) the organization announced today. She will serve as Chief External Affairs Officer overseeing the development, public policy, and strategic communications departments, and she will report directly to president and CEO Mark Pinsky. OFN is the leading national network of community development financial institutions (CDFIs). Santiago Negrón served in several senior positions within the administration of President Barack Obama. In 2010, President Obama appointed her as a senior policy advisor at the Women’s Bureau at the Department of Labor. Most recently Santiago Negrón worked for Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as the chief of staff in the Department of Education’s Office of Strategic Partnerships, focused on the Administration’s new funding flexibility efforts, place-based investing initiatives (Promise Zones), higher education access and innovation initiatives, and the workforce development and workplace skills agenda. Santiago Negrón will manage OFN’s public-facing work and build strategic relationships to create new opportunities for OFN, its Members, and the CDFI industry. OFN’s network provides more than $5 billion each year to create opportunities for people and communities rich in ideas but poor in capital to execute them. “As a senior leader in the Obama administration and established national policy expert, Nancy brings exceptional depth and savvy to OFN,” said Mark Pinsky, president and CEO of OFN. “She is uniquely qualified to position the organization for its next phase of growth, and her expertise, which is centered around her enduring commitment to underserved communities, reflects a strong devotion to our mission of aligning capital with justice.” Santiago Negrón’s work on White House efforts included supporting the work of the Department of Education on “My Brother’s Keeper,” President Obama’s initiative to increase economic opportunity for men and boys of color by building private/public investment in underserved communities. OFN has been a leading champion of “My Brother’s Keeper,” pledging $1 billion in CDFI support annually through its Youth Opportunity Pledge. Santiago Negrón’s professional experience includes service as director of policy and planning at the Philadelphia Youth Network, legislative work at PECO/Exelon, and several leadership roles at the School District of Philadelphia. She is a native of Philadelphia and holds a Master of Education from Temple University. (Attended City Lab)