CEO Kevin Walker on Why He’s Excited About Oweesta’s Native CDFI Convening and How You Can Attend Virtually

An interview gives insights into our CEO’s thoughts on the value of Oweesta’s Native CDFI convening.

On June 13–14, 2018, Native community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and investors interested in working more closely with Native CDFIs will be in Pacific Grove, CA, for First Nations Oweesta Corporation’s 2018 Native CDFI Capital Access Convening. The event provides numerous opportunities to learn how to bring more capital to Native communities—capital that leads to new jobs, businesses, and ways to bring dreams to life for multiple generations. Investors can be pivotal in helping out with that capital.

Our CEO, Kevin Walker, is honored to be a keynote speaker at this year’s convening. We sat down with him to talk about the importance of attending and why Native CDFIs are great investment partners.

Q: What do you see as the greatest value in attending the Native CDFI Convening?

A: “We are committed to partnering with Native CDFIs and have made deep investments over the past five years to help strengthen their work. The convening is an excellent chance for all of us to gather for strategic discussions on how we can bring even more investment to Native communities through Native CDFIs.”

Q: Why is the convening important for the work of Native CDFIs?

A: “The convening provides both networking opportunities and training sessions for Native CDFIs on how to build capacity so they can access more capital. Native CDFIs are culturally anchored institutions rooted in their communities. They know what their communities need. By attending the convening, Native CDFIs and their potential investment partners will gather the tools they need to build long-term economic and cultural wealth in Native communities.”

Q: Why are Native CDFIs proven partners for financial institutions?

A: “There are several reasons why this is true. Investments in Native CDFIs help to meet significant, often overlooked capital demands in Indian Country. They also bring new customers to financial institutions by referring entrepreneurs or previously unbanked families to banks and credit unions. And they are trustworthy partners. They have strong net asset ratios, along with exceptionally low write-off and delinquency rates.”

Can’t join in person? Attend via livestream on June 14—just click a button and join us!

We’ll be livestreaming on June 14, 2018, from 8:05 to 9:45 a.m. (PDT). It’s an easy opportunity to get a glimpse into the conference without traveling, and it’s FREE.

Attend any or all the following sessions on June 14 (all times are PDT):

• 8:05–8:20 a.m. – Opening Address: Kevin Walker, President and CEO, Northwest Area Foundation
• 8:20–8:25 a.m. – Group Address: Chrystel Cornelius, Executive Director, First Nations Oweesta Corporation
• 8:25–8:45 a.m. – Presentations from Native CDFIs
• 8:45–9:45 a.m. – Social Investors Panel

Participate in the Facebook livestream:

• Sign up to participate (prior to June 14)
• 8–10 a.m. (PDT) on June 14 (event has ended)
• Scroll to the top of the feed
• The livestream video of the convening will be posted
• Click the video to enter viewing mode