CDFI Advisory Board

Jack Crane, Senior Vice President, Director of Lending
Community Investment Corporation

Jack Crane is responsible for overseeing the marketing, underwriting, closing, construction services and asset management for all CIC loans. He is an award-winning community development banking leader, including stints at Harris Bank, Good News Partners, Organization of the Northeast (ONE), and ShoreBank. Mr. Crane has successfully managed the financing of hundreds of commercial real estate investments, small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and single-family home developments, specializing in inner city investments.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Resurrection Project, whose mission is to build relationships and challenge individuals to act on their faith and values by creating community ownership, building community wealth, and serving as stewards of community assets. Mr. Crane also serves on the Board of the Rogers Park Builders Group.

Thomas Fitzgibbon, Jr. , CDFI Consultant

Tom served as the Executive Managing Director for Talmer Bank and Trust a $20 billion publically-traded community bank with 100 offices in Ohio, Indiana, Chicago, Nevada and Michigan from 2010-2015. He served as the Operations Chief for Talmer from 2010-2013.  Tom served as the EVP and Member of the Board of Directors for MB Financial Bank from 1995-2010 and as the Chief Retail Banking Officer from 1999-2008. He also served as the President of MB Financial Community Development Corporation (MBCDC), President of the MB Financial Bank Charitable Foundation and Treasurer of both the federal and state Political Action Committees of the holding company. He is currently a consultant in the banking industry and works with nonprofit CDFI lenders throughout the country.

Tom currently serves on the Board of Directors for Woodstock Institute, Chicago Community Loan Fund, ACCESS Community Health Care, The House of the Good Shepherd and Neighborhood Housing Services.  He is also a loan committee member of NeighborWorks© Capital Corporation and a trustee and treasurer for the Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation.

Robert Tucker, Chief Operating Officer
Chicago Community Loan Fund

Bob Tucker joined the Chicago Community Loan Fund in June 2015 as the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Programs.  He leads internal operations and provides strategic leadership to ensure CCLF executes its business plan and fulfills its mission to provide flexible, affordable and responsible financing and technical assistance for community stabilization and development efforts and initiatives that benefit low-to-moderate income neighborhoods.

Prior to joining CCLF, Bob was the Corporate General Counsel and Chief Risk officer for Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS).  Before NHS, he was a Partner at the law firm Chapman and Cutler.  Bob also has been a Freelance Writer for the Chicago Sun-Times and Pioneer Press providing restaurant reviews and chef profiles.

Bob is a Village Trustee on the Village Board of Oak Park, Illinois where he serves on the Finance Committee.  Bob has a Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison, WI and a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Nick Brunick, Partner
Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen

Nick Brunick is a partner at Applegate & Thorne-Thomsen, P.C., which is a Chicago-based law firm with a national practice in affordable housing and community development law.  Nick and his colleagues use their knowledge in corporate, real estate, financing, zoning, and tax law to effectively mix private enterprise, social vision, and public policy to create transformative commercial, residential, and mixed-use projects.

Nick represents developers (both for-profit and not-for-profit) who are using a variety of financing sources to build or rehab housing, to launch new businesses, or to create schools, health centers, grocery stores, or other enterprises or institutions that are needed for healthy and competitive communities.  Nick also represents lenders who are bringing capital to underserved communities, creating innovative loan funds, and providing financing for affordable housing and small businesses.

Nick serves as Board President of BPI, Vice-President of the Illinois Housing Council, on the Steering Committee for United Power for Action and Justice, and as outside General Counsel for the Community Investment Corporation.

Brad McConnell, Chief Executive Officer
ACCION Chicago

Brad McConnell is CEO of Accion Chicago, a nonprofit that helps neighborhood entrepreneurs in Illinois and Indiana grow by providing the capital, coaching, and connections needed to create wealth and jobs. Accion serves thousands of clients annually, working hardest in the most challenging neighborhoods.

Before Accion, Brad was Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer at the City of Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development for five years. Prior, he served as Economic Policy Advisor to Illinois Senator Dick Durbin in Washington. Previous assignments included supporting small business bankers as Vice President at LaSalle Bank (now Bank of America), and leading strategy, process, and technology projects in the US and Europe at Accenture.

Brad holds a Bachelors in Business Administration / Finance from the University of Notre Dame and a Masters in Public Policy from Georgetown University. He currently serves on the board of directors at the food incubator The Hatchery Chicago, and as Chairman of the Local School Council and head youth basketball coach at Audubon Elementary School.

Mike Thomas, Executive Director
Garfield Park Community Council

Mike Tomas is the founding Executive Director of the Garfield Park Community Council (GPCC) and joined the GPCC in 2005 when it was created as part of the LISC New Communities Program through the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance. Mike has more than 15 years of experience in both community organizing and community development work in both Chicago’s West Side and the southeast side of San Francisco. Mike is a graduate of the Center for Third World Organizing’s Movement Activist Apprenticeship Program in Oakland California.  Mike works closely with residents, government agencies and community organizations to improve the quality of life for those in economically distressed neighborhoods.

Rev. Douglas Bradshaw, Executive Director
Facing Forward to End Homelessness

Rev. Bradshaw is the Executive Director for Facing Forward to End Homelessness, a nonprofit organization that provides permanent supportive housing and clinical case management to vulnerable individuals and families experiencing homelessness in Chicago. Under his leadership, Facing Forward has tripled in program capacity over a three-year span, and now serves over 700 individuals each year. Prior to becoming the Executive Director in 2014, Rev. Bradshaw served on the organizations Board of Directors for six years.  Outside his work to end homelessness, Doug has served congregations in the Chicago Presbytery for 26 years. His work in both the nonprofit and faith-based sectors centers on growth through program development and cultivation of local, national, and international partnerships. Doug has a personal passions for vulnerable children, great food, and a nice motorcycle ride.

Vickie Lakes-Battle

Vickie joined IFF in 2014 as Director of Lending for Northern Illinois and the Chicago metro area. She now serves as IFF’s first-ever Executive Director for the Chicago region, overseeing IFF’s full-range of services in the Chicagoland area, including lending, real estate consulting, and community strategies program operations. Vickie Lakes-Battle is known throughout the Chicago region as a no-nonsense change-maker, successfully leveraging her institutional roles to advance the goals of those who work in service to their communities. Vickie currently serves on the board of the Greater Chatham Initiative, and is on the Steering Committee of Elevated Chicago, where she also co-chairs the Elevated Capital & Programs Working Group.