Board of Directors

Meet the board of directors for the First Children's Finance Group and the FCF Loan Fund.

First Children's Finance Group Board of Directors

Smiling woman with shoulder-length light brown hair wearing a plaid blazer over a black top, a gold necklace, and hoop earrings, posing in front of a plain beige background.

Kelly Elkin

Chair | Commercial Banking Executive | Alerus Financial, St. Louis Park, MN

Kelly Elkin serves as Chair of the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is a Commercial Banking Executive at Alerus Financial in St. Louis Park, MN.

A smiling older man with short gray hair wearing a blue plaid blazer and light blue collared shirt poses in front of a plain gray background.

Patrick Skiles

Treasurer | Retired, Livonia, MI

Patrick Skiles serves as Treasurer of the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is retired, based in Livonia, MI.

A woman with straight, shoulder-length light brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a light textured cardigan, a black top, and a beaded necklace, with a plain gray background.

Elizabeth Davis

Secretary | Professor, Department of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

Elizabeth Davis serves as Secretary of the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is a Professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN.

A smiling older man with short gray hair and glasses, wearing a dark suit, light blue shirt, and dark patterned tie, posed against a plain gray background.

David Arens

Founding Partner, Private Wealth | West Des Moines, IA

David Arens serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is a Founding Partner of Private Wealth in West Des Moines, IA.

A woman with shoulder-length dark hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a striped shirt with blue, black, and white colors, gold hoop earrings, and a gold necklace, set against a plain gray background.

Melanie Brizzi

Chief Child Care Strategy and Operations Office, The Consultant Consortium | Indianapolis, IN

Melanie Brizzi serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is Chief Child Care Strategy and Operations Officer at The Consultant Consortium in Indianapolis, IN.

A man with short light brown hair, wearing glasses, a navy blazer, a white shirt, and a pocket square, smiles while posing in front of a plain light gray background.

Dr. Walter Gilliam

Executive Director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute | Omaha, NE

Dr. Walter Gilliam serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is Executive Director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute in Omaha, NE.

A woman with straight brown hair, wearing a black textured blazer and a necklace, smiles at the camera in front of a plain gray background.

Suzanne Humbert

Partner, Deloitte & Tuche LLP | Minneapolis, MN

Suzanne Humbert serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is a Partner at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Minneapolis, MN.

An older man with white hair and glasses smiles at the camera. He is wearing a pastel plaid shirt and is posed in front of a plain gray background.

Roger Neugebaur

Executive Director and Founder of World Forum on Early Care and Education; Former Publisher, Exchange Magazine, Child Care Information Exchange | Redmond, WA

Roger Neugebaur serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is Executive Director and Founder of the World Forum on Early Care and Education, and former Publisher of Exchange Magazine, Child Care Information Exchange, in Redmond, WA.

A woman with long brown hair, wearing glasses, hoop earrings, and a black top, smiling in front of a plain, light-colored background.

Dafina Williams

Executive Vice President of External Affairs, Opportunity Finance Network | Silver Spring, MD

Dafina Williams serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is Executive Vice President of External Affairs at Opportunity Finance Network in Silver Spring, MD.

Safiyah Jackson

Chief Strategy Officer, North Carolina Partnership for Children | Raleigh, NC

Safiyah Jackson serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is Chief Strategy Officer at North Carolina Partnership for Children in Raleigh, NC.

FCF Loan Fund Board of Directors

A woman with long brown hair, wearing glasses, hoop earrings, and a black top, smiling in front of a plain, light-colored background.

Dafina Williams

Executive Vice President of External Affairs, Opportunity Finance Network | Silver Spring, MD

Dafina Williams serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is Executive Vice President of External Affairs at Opportunity Finance Network in Silver Spring, MD.

A woman with wavy, shoulder-length black and gray hair stands outdoors, wearing a light blazer over a dark shirt. She has earrings and a small necklace, and trees and a walkway are visible in the background.

Carolina Castaneda del Rio

Director of Community Impact, Social Venture Partners | Portland, OR

Carolina Castaneda del Rio serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is Director of Community Impact at Social Venture Partners in Portland, OR.

Smiling woman with dark skin and hair in a bun, wearing a black top, black cardigan, and a pearl necklace, posed against a plain light background.

Dr. Shana Ford

Chief Executive Officer KIPP North Star - MN | Minneapolis, MN

Dr. Shana Ford serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is Chief Executive Officer of KIPP North Star - MN in Minneapolis, MN.

An older woman with short, curly gray hair and glasses smiles at the camera. She is wearing a black top with a patterned, light-colored scarf and gold hoop earrings, standing against a plain white background.

Phyllis Sloan

Executive Director, La Creche Early Childhood Centers, Inc. | Minneapolis, MN

Phyllis Sloan serves on the First Children's Finance Board of Directors and is Executive Director of La Creche Early Childhood Centers, Inc. in Minneapolis, MN.

Shobna Streng

Credit Administrator Technology Credit Union (Tech CU) | Austin, Texas

Shobna Streng serves on the First Children's Finance Loan Fund Board of Directors and is the Credit Administrator at Tech CU.