(NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ) -- New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC), the state of New Jersey’s largest community development financial institution (CDFI), announced Lyneir Richardson joined the organization’s Board of Directors. Richardson is currently an assistant professor at Rutgers University where he leads the Business School’s Center for Urban Entrepreneurship and Economic Development. He was also recently appointed as a nonresident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution where he’ll lend his expertise to the Brookings Metro program. The news of Richardson’s appointment is joined by the announcement of additional NJCC Board member appointments to specific committees.
“Lyneir brings a wealth of knowledge in equitable investing and program acceleration that will support NJCC through continued expansion and community impact. I’m confident that Lyneir’s expertise and experience working in diverse communities will play a critical role in the strategic guidance of our work to advance inclusive economic growth,” said Bernel Hall, President and CEO of New Jersey Community Capital. “As the new Board officers start their term, I want to thank our 2021-2022 Board Chair, Alle Reis, for her dedication and commitment to NJCC. Alle’s leadership set an excellent example for our next group of officers, and I’m appreciative of all her efforts.”
“I’m thrilled to join Bernel Hall and New Jersey Community Capital’s Board of Directors to support the organization’s mission and contribute to its dynamic and effective programs and services,” Lyneir Richardson said. “There’s always more to be done to make communities in New Jersey and beyond more equitable and accessible, and I’m eager to play a role in that work on this board.”
Richardson joins seven existing Board members, including executives from JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock Alternative Investors, Wells Fargo, M&T Bank, Hudson County Economic Development Corp. and St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society of Camden. Evan Weiss, CEO and president of the Newark Alliance was also added as a Board member in June 2022. The 2022-2023 Board Officers include Gregg B. Gunselman as Chair, Michelle Richardson as Vice Chair, Maria Vizcarrondo as Secretary and Ladell Robbins as Treasurer.
This term’s Board members will also provide oversight while serving across new committees that were also recently announced. The Audit Committee will be chaired by Pilar Hogan Closkey, Corporate Governance by Maria Vizcarrondo, Credit Committee by Phillip D. Woolfolk and the Finance Committee by Ladell Robbins.
Prior to joining Rutgers, Richardson co-founded The Chicago TREND Corporation, a social enterprise funded by prestigious impact investors to stimulate urban retail development. To date, Chicago TREND has invested $17M+ to strengthen commercial corridors and owns four community shopping centers. Also, Richardson served as Chief Executive Officer of Brick City Development Corporation, where he had overall responsibility for real estate development, small business services and business attraction in Newark, NJ. Before Brick City, he was Vice President of Urban Development at General Growth Properties, Inc. where he led the national initiative to bring quality shopping centers to ethnic neighborhoods in large U.S. cities. Prior to General Growth, he founded Lakeshore Development & Construction Company and was recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration as "Illinois Young Entrepreneur of the Year.” Richardson started his career as an attorney for the First National Bank of Chicago after earning his J.D. at the University of Chicago Law School.
New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC) is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) that provides an innovative toolkit of financial products, programs and services to advance equity and opportunity in underserved communities. NJCC supports the preservation and development of affordable housing and sustainable community development ventures that increase jobs, improve education and strengthen neighborhoods to ensure that communities can thrive.
NJCC is part of the NeighborWorks network, an affiliation of more than 240 nonprofit organizations located in every state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The NeighborWorks network was founded and is supported by NeighborWorks America, which creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities.
