Pablo DeFilippi Receives Award for
Inclusiv's Work in Puerto Rico
For Immediate Release:
From left to right: Miguel Colon Robles, CEO of MacCoop, Jose Julian Ramirez, Executive Director of the ASEC, Eddie W. Alicea, ASEC Board President and CEO of SagradaCoop. Erixson Gomez, CEO of ZenoGandia Coop and Pablo DeFilippi,
New York, NY (April 3, 2019) - Pablo DeFilippi, Inclusiv’s SVP of Membership and Network Engagement, received the 2019 President’s Award from the Asociación de Ejecutivos de Cooperativas de Puerto Rico (ASEC), Puerto Rico’s principal cooperative membership organization. DeFilippi was recognized at ASEC’s Annual Convention in Ponce, Puerto Rico on March 16, 2019 for promoting CDFI certification for Puerto Rico’s 114 financial cooperatives.
The President’s Award is the Financial Cooperative Movement's most prestigious honor, celebrating individuals and organizations for their exceptional support of the Financial Cooperative System and the ASEC.
“Pablo has become the voice of Puerto Rico’s financial cooperatives in the United States,” said Eddie W. Alicea, President of ASEC’s Board of Directors and CEO of Cooperativa la Sagrada Familia, the first CDFI certified financial cooperative in Puerto Rico. “Pablo’s guidance was instrumental for Sagrada Familia, the first financial cooperative in Puerto Rico to gain CDFI certification, and for four other cooperatives that recently received technical assistance grants from the CDFI Fund. His commitment to help and the guidance he has provided to financial cooperatives in Puerto Rico led ASEC to grant him this important award.”
"I am honored to receive this recognition that validates the important work Inclusiv and a growing coalition of credit unions, industry leaders and partner organizations set out to do in the aftermath of Hurricane María. As much as we have helped, we have also learned from the resiliency, commitment, leadership and determination that make the cooperativas de ahorro y crédito of Puerto Rico such a vital part of the local economy. We thank everyone for welcoming us into their movement and for giving us an opportunity to build a bridge to strengthen the local financial cooperatives so that they can increase their roles as leaders in the rebuilding of a more inclusive Puerto Rico" said DeFilippi.
In May 2018, Inclusiv and ASEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding to engage financial cooperatives and connect them with the CDFI Fund through Inclusiv. This partnership has evolved into the Puerto Rico CDFI Initiative, a program that aims to raise awareness of the traditional role financial cooperatives have played in meeting the needs of communities in Puerto Rico, as well as showcase this network’s untapped potential in playing an effective role in creating more inclusive, resilient, and equitable local economies. By building the capacity of financial cooperatives in Puerto Rico, Inclusiv hopes expand their impact beyond the one million members they already serve, many of whom live in rural communities not served by the traditional banking system.
Inclusiv launched the second phase of the Initiative last month, with the hosting of the 2019 CDFI Convening for Financial Cooperatives in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over 150 leaders from 55 financial cooperatives actively participated in the event, which focused on CDFI certification, technical and financial assistance grants, small and micro loans, and resiliency building.
From left to right: Jose Julian Ramirez, Executive Director of the ASEC, Pablo DeFilippi, SVP of Membership and Network Engagement at Inclusiv and Eddie W. Alicea, ASEC Board President and CEO of SagradaCoop.
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About Inclusiv
Inclusiv was instrumental in establishing the CDFI Fund in 1994, is a permanent member of the national CDFI Coalition and is the CDFI and community finance authority for the credit union industry. Our member CDCUs represent over 8 million members in low-income communities across the US, representing the majority of all CDFI-certified credit unions. Today, CDFI certification is an essential credential for credit unions with a focus on financial inclusion. Inclusiv is the credit union industry's best resource for learning more about certification and technical and financial assistance grants. For more information on our advocacy on behalf of CDFI credit unions, click here.
At Inclusiv, we believe that true financial inclusion and empowerment is a fundamental right. We dedicate ourselves to closing the gaps and removing barriers to financial opportunities for people living in distressed and underserved communities. Inclusiv is a certified CDFI intermediary that transforms local progress into lasting national change. We provide capital, make connections, build capacity, develop innovative products and services and advocate for our member community development credit unions (CDCUs). Inclusiv members serve over eight million residents of low-income urban, rural and reservation-based communities across the U.S. and hold over $92 billion in community-controlled assets. Founded in 1974, Inclusiv is headquartered in New York, NY, with offices in Madison, WI and Atlanta, GA.
Media Contact:
Clarissa Ritter
Vice President, Marketing and Communications
(212) 809-1850 x210
critter@inclusiv.org