Bonnie Crockett, Director
Bonnie Crockett began her professional career as an attorney in the field of banking and commercial law, eventually becoming General Counsel and Vice-President of Loyola Federal Savings Bank. “A love of persuasive writing and challenging debate drew me to the law,” she said, “but it wasn’t until I started volunteering with local community and business associations that I found my passion.” So in 2000, she embarked on a new venture in community and economic development.
Bonnie was one of the initial organizers and then Executive Director of Federal Hill Main Street, Inc., which, under her direction, grew to be one of the foremost Main Street programs in the country, winning the Greatest American Main Street Award in 2008. Looking for new challenges, she took the position of Director of Westport Community Partnerships for Turner Development Group, where she developed and implemented a comprehensive community revitalization program.
Bonnie has been director, professor, counselor, advocate, lender, and mentor to startups and long-established companies, business associations and community development corporations, banks and CDFIs. And in her “spare” time, Bonnie teaches entrepreneurship and business planning to undergraduate and graduate students at MICA.
Angella Aizire, Loan Officer
Angella Aizire has worked in the financial services field for over 15 years. Prior to working at Baltimore Business Lending, she was the Loan Officer in the Baltimore office of the Ethiopian Community Development Council -Enterprise Development Group. She has extensive experience in assisting existing and potential entrepreneurs access the capital they need to start or grow their businesses. Prior to joining EDG, Angella identified opportunities for investment in small agribusinesses in four West and Central African countries (Cameron, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire and Mauritania) for the International Fund for Agriculture (IFAD) Italy, and helped develop agricultural finance products for commercial banks in Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.
Melissa Badeker, Loan Associate
Melissa Badeker has extensive experience in partner and community outreach, client support, data reporting, and monitoring, evaluating, and reviewing systems. After teaching elementary school in Baltimore City followed by specializing in educator professional development at a virtual school, Melissa co-founded and was Executive Director of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Baltimore Teacher Supply Swap. She was a cohort member of the Johns Hopkins Social Innovation Lab from 2015-16 and a Community Fellow in the Open Society Institute from November 2016 to April 2018.
Board of Directors
Watchen Harris Bruce
Board Chair
President and CEO, Baltimore Community Lending
Paul Taylor
Board Co-Chair
Director, Mayor’s Office of Small, Minority and Women Business Development
Nichole Battle
CEO, Govans Ecumenical Development
Corporation (GEDCO)
David Bramble
Managing Partner,
MCB Real Estate, LLC.
Matthew Calhoun
Senior VP Retail Banking,
M&T Bank
Stephanie Chin
Assistant Director, Entrepreneurship, Maryland Institute College of Art
Randall James
Treasurer and SVP,
Howard Bank
Gerard Joab
Executive Director,
St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center
Mary Miller
Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins University’s 21stCentury Cities Initiative
Christopher Rockey
Greater MD Marketing Manager, Community Development Banking, PNC Bank
Larysa Salamacha
Managing Director, Strategy, Research & Analytics, Baltimore Development Corporation
John Walsh
Senior External Advisor,
McKinsey& Co.