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Guest Speakers

Brittany Bennett Weston

Brittany Bennett Weston
CEO – BennettWeston Consluting 

Brittany Bennett Weston is a consultant, facilitator, and thought partner who is passionate about creating systems and cultures within communities and organizations that allow everyone in them to thrive. She brings a diverse set of experiences in education, nonprofit management, and development finance fields to her work. She launched BennettWeston Consulting, LLC in 2021 to help others create equitable cultures and practices that deepen the impact of their work. Brittany serves as the Board Chair of Village of Wisdom and is an active board member of the North Carolina Rural Center and its community development financial institution subsidiary, Thread Capital. Brittany earned a B.S. in Anthropology & Human Biology from Emory University and a Master of Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. When she’s not working, you can probably find Brittany enjoying the local arts and food scene in Durham, NC.
Robert Schall, now retired, had been with Self-Help from 1985 - 2018, served as the President of Self-Help Ventures Fund and was a lead staff member in raising capital for its lending and real estate activities. Previously he worked as an economic development specialist for the State of North Carolina and served in the Peace Corps in West Africa. Bob has an undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh as well as a Master of Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and serves on advisory boards for SunTrust Bank, Wells Fargo Bank and Wall Street Without Walls.

Bob Schall
Retired, formerly President of Self-Help Ventures Fund

Bob Shall
Gabriel Treves Kagan

Gabriel Treves-Kegan
VP Development, Latino Community Credit Union

Gabriel Treves-Kagan is responsible for securing resources to advance the mission of LCCU and LCDC as well as grants management and project evaluation. Gabriel brings passion to his work drawn from his experience as an immigrant; he was born in Mexico and lived in Argentina before moving to the United States. He started his career working in the labor movement for the United Farm Workers in the California Central Valley and spent time as a public sector strategic planner and evaluator before joining LCCU in 2016.

Irving Bustillo is responsible for overseeing the mortgage and lending department of the organization, as well as providing coaching and training to the growing team of mortgage loan officers and underwriters. In his home country of Honduras, Irving developed extensive front and back-office experience in the banking industry while working for local and regional financial groups before joining LCCU in 2016. Since, he has served in various capacities, including loan officer, branch manager, and internal audit director.

Irving Bustillo
Chief Lending Officer, Latino Community Credit Union 

Irving Bustillo
Tina Poole Johnson

Tina Poole Johnson
Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, UNH Carsey School of Public Policy 

Tina acts as Deputy Director and Senior Fellow for the Center for Impact Finance at the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy. Tina has over 25 years’ experience in affordable housing and community development. She previously worked as the Senior Vice President, Network Services, at Opportunity Finance Network and Senior Manager, Curriculum and Training, at NeighborWorks America. Tina spent almost 7 years on the commercial loan team at Self. She has been an independent consultant focusing on community development and energy finance projects for green bank and CDFI clients. Tina began her career as a lawyer, clerking for a federal judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, practicing real estate and business law, and teaching in an executive program for school administrators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Tina has a JD from the University of Chicago Law School and a BA in History from Yale University.