President & CEO

Introduction to the Council of Development Finance Agencies

Founded in 1982, the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) is a national association built to strengthen the efforts of state and local development finance agencies in fostering job creation and economic growth through tax-exempt bonds and other public-private partnership finance tools. Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, CDFA is a membership organization that has grown into one of the most respected and influential voices in the development finance industry, shaping policy, practice, and professional standards nationwide.

CDFA exists to help public agencies, financial institutions, and community partners put capital to work, turning financing tools into real projects, jobs, and economic opportunity. In the broader field of economic development organizations, CDFA has built a distinct and essential niche: it is the only national association singularly focused on the specialized world of development finance.

Underlying all of CDFA’s work is a shared sense of purpose: helping communities access the capital needed for job creation, small business growth, infrastructure, and housing. CDFA places particular emphasis on extending these tools to historically underserved and disadvantaged communities, ensuring that its technical and legislative work translates into broader economic opportunity.

Advocacy sits at the center of CDFA’s work. CDFA is the leading voice for the development finance industry in Washington, D.C., producing an annual federal policy agenda and engaging directly with Congress and federal agencies to protect and expand the tools practitioners rely on. CDFA tracks legislation, educates lawmakers, and builds the coalitions needed to defend and expand development finance mechanisms, serving as a trusted, reliable resource for the industry’s legislative and regulatory interests.

CDFA is known as the industry’s premier educator, bringing a commitment to supporting the next generation of development finance professionals. Through the CDFA Training Institute, the Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) program, and a full slate of courses covering bonds, tax increment financing, revolving loan funds, tax credits, and other mechanisms, CDFA delivers technical training that is not available elsewhere. This training and professional development work has become one of CDFA’s most valued offerings, establishing the organization as a premier source of best-practice knowledge for development finance professionals nationwide.

CDFA also serves as a forum where development finance agencies, lenders, consultants, law firms, and other partners come together to share experiences, troubleshoot problems, and learn from peers facing similar challenges. Through its National Development Finance Summit, state financing round tables, and year-round programming, CDFA has built a professional community around development finance that exists at this scale nowhere else in the industry.

CDFA’s online resource database, state financing program directory, and topic-specific resource centers provide a steady, trusted source of current information on financing tools, policy developments, and emerging practices.

CDFA also provides direct technical assistance and advisory work, including support for grant administration and consulting services that help communities and agencies design and strengthen their own development finance programs.

• Annual Budget: $2.1M
• Total Staff: 14
• Direct Reports: 4
• Member Organizations: 436
• Work mode:
  Hybrid, with in-person expectation at CDFA’s headquarters in Dublin, Ohio

The Council of Development Finance Agencies seeks an experienced, visionary leader to succeed a longtime executive and guide the association’s continued growth and impact.

In partnership with a mission-driven Board of Directors who deeply value CDFA’s legacy and historic contributions, the incoming President & CEO will direct the association’s efforts to engage, convene, and educate its membership. The role also carries responsibility for advocating…