Last Monday marked the beginning of my tenure as the new Director of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund). I am truly honored to have been chosen for this critical position, and I am eager to work with the dedicated and talented staff of the CDFI Fund as our organization embarks upon its third decade of service to communities throughout the nation.

Last Monday marked the beginning of my tenure as the new Director of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund). I am truly honored to have been chosen for this critical position, and I am eager to work with the dedicated and talented staff of the CDFI Fund as our organization embarks upon its third decade of service to communities throughout the nation.

CDFI Fund Director Donna J. Gambrell retired at the end of December, 2013. Her last message to the CDFI community is below.

 It's such a pleasure to have this opportunity to update community development organizations across the country on the CDFI Fund's recent progress and activities. The year 2013 may be only a month old, but the CDFI Fund has been busy with fiscal year 2013 since October 1, 2012. Behind the scenes we have been diligently reviewing applications for 2012 New Markets Tax Credit Allocations, laying the groundwork for the 2013 rounds of the CDFI Program and Native American CDFI Assistance Program, and developing the 2013 application for the Bank Enterprise Award Program.

At the end of 2008, during the worst financial crisis in over 50 years, the CDFI Fund's Community Development Advisory Board formed a special subcommittee to examine the crisis and its effect on CDFIs across the United States. The subcommittee produced a number of important recommendations based upon direct input from all types of CDFIs that attended listening sessions, participated in conference calls, and provided written comments.

​ I am pleased to report that there have been several exciting new developments at the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury since my last message, and more are on the way in the months to come.

The beginning of a new year is always a good time to pause a moment to reflect on the journey we have just completed as well as on the road that lies ahead. I am particularly pleased to look back on the performance of the CDFI industry and the CDFI Fund as 2011 has been another outstanding year for CDFIs.

In my Message from the Director in January 2011, I stated that, as remarkable as the CDFI FundŐs accomplishments were in 2010, we were committed to reaching even higher in 2011. I am very pleased to report that in the first half of 2011, we have continued to build upon the impressive record we established last year and, indeed, are reaching new heights.

The conclusion of 2010 marks the end of a momentous year for the CDFI Fund. This year saw both the fifteenth anniversary of the CDFI Fund and the tenth anniversary of the New Markets Tax Credit. Both of these milestones attest to the stability and resilience of our still young organization. Yet this was also a year characterized by astonishing growth and change.

I am very pleased to report that 2010 was full of unprecedented accomplishments.