The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston announced today the appointment of two new members to the Bank's Community Development Advisory Council (CDAC):

• Massachusetts
  Tracy Palandjian, Chief Executive Officer, Social Finance
• Vermont
  William Belongia, Executive Director, Vermont Community Loan Fund

Standing members of the Council include:

• Connecticut
  Ann Deming Pratt, Executive Director, Connecticut Citizen Research Group
  Alicia Woodsby, Executive Director, Partnership for Strong Communities
• Maine
  Claude Rwaganje, Executive Director, Community Financial Literacy
  Nicole Witherbee, Ph.D., Chief Program Officer, The John T. Gorman Foundation
• Massachusetts
  Sheila Harrity, Superintendent, Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School District
  Jerry Rubin, President and Chief Executive Officer, JVS Boston
• New Hampshire
  John Flanders, Chief Operating Officer, New Hampshire Community Loan Fund
  Katherine Easterly Martey, Director of Economic Development, New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority
• Rhode Island
  Nicole Alexander-Scott, M.D., Director, Rhode Island Department of Health
  Rachel Flum, J.D., Executive Director, Economic Progress Institute
  Amy Rainone, Director of Government Relations & Policies, Rhode Island Housing
• Vermont
  Ludy Biddle, Executive Director, NeighborWorks of Western Vermont

The CDAC meetings provide a forum for representatives of community development organizations from the private, public, and non-profit sectors to inform the Boston Fed president and the Bank's board of directors about activities, issues, and barriers to community development in the region. The CDAC also advises the Bank's president and board of directors on ways in which the Bank can be of assistance in support of community development efforts in the region, and discusses opportunities to facilitate communication between sectors to encourage effective use of community development resources across New England.

"The Community Development Advisory Council provides unique perspectives into the hard work happening across community development organizations in the First District," said Eric S. Rosengren, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Boston Fed. "I'm looking forward to welcoming the new members and hearing perspectives that will help advance our mission of public service that makes a difference."

The next meeting of the CDAC will be March 26, 2018.

For more information, visit the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's website here.