IFF continues to grow and prosper through our greatest asset: our team of talented, dedicated professionals, committed to excellence and mission.

Amandula Anderson

Executive Director - Indiana Region

Amandula Anderson serves as executive director for the Indiana Region overseeing IFF’s full scope of services in Indiana and Louisville, KY, while actively seeking additional opportunities to further support nonprofits. Previously she served as IFF’s managing director of Real Estate Solutions – Indiana, working alongside nonprofit organizations to help them build, move, or expand their space in order to meet the needs of their clients.

Amandula has more than 20 years’ experience in the nonprofit sector. Prior to joining IFF, she led two community-based organizations – Irvington Development Organization and United Northeast CDC, convened a Quality-of-Life initiative on the northeast side of Indianapolis, directed a program to facilitate a two-generational approach to supporting families within five Indianapolis communities, and spent a few years supporting affordable housing through a tax credit syndicator.

A native Hoosier, Amandula is a graduate from Arlington High School. She received a bachelor’s degree in public affairs from IUPUI and a master’s in real estate development from University of Indianapolis.

Chris Uhl

Executive Director - Eastern Region

Chris Uhl joined IFF as the executive director of the Eastern Region in 2017. Located in IFF’s Detroit office, Uhl oversees IFF’s full-range of services in Michigan and Ohio, including lending, real estate consulting, and community strategies program operations.

Prior to joining IFF, Uhl served in leadership roles at Rock Ventures LLC, The Skillman Foundation, and Detroit Children’s Fund, as well as working several years as a banker at major financial institutions. As vice president of social innovation at The Skillman Foundation, Mr. Uhl helped the foundation move beyond grants to program-related investments in the form of low-interest loans and loan guarantees. He most recently led community investment efforts at Rock Ventures, a Detroit firm that serves and connects a portfolio of more than 100 companies owned by Dan Gilbert – the founder of Quicken Loans and majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mr. Uhl is a Michigan native with an MBA from Wayne State University and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University.

Christopher Watkins

Senior Vice President of Strategic Insights/Chief Data Officer

Chris Watkins serves as IFF’s chief data officer and senior vice president of strategic insights. Based in IFF’s Chicago office, Chris leads the organization’s data insights and data systems teams and guides IFF’s use of qualitative and quantitative data to expand its reach, modernize its tech stack, and improve its decision-making capacity.

Chris has nearly 15 years of experience in the tech and data fields, in roles ranging from running his own startup to using machine learning and artificial intelligence to help build products for companies such as Google, Uber, Walmart, and GoodRx. In addition, he has served as an advisor to The Community Works of Lake County, a workforce development nonprofit based in his hometown of Waukegan, IL, for more than 10 years.

Chris received his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College and his MBA from Yale University.

Dana Lieberman

Senior Vice President of Capital Solutions

As senior vice president for Capital Solutions, Dana Lieberman provides broad, executive-level oversight of the organization’s regional nonprofit financing program. She manages a team of 30+ professionals working in loan origination, portfolio management, and structured finance across IFF’s footprint in the Midwest.

Lieberman joined IFF in 2012 as director of compliance and investor programs, responsible for managing and coordinating IFF’s investor relationships, compliance initiatives, and New Markets Tax Credits-related activities. She was promoted in 2013 to managing director of lending, with responsibilities for the leadership and management of the loan origination program and staff across IFF’s footprint.

Prior to joining IFF, Lieberman was chief operating officer of a social enterprise bakery and transitional jobs training program affiliated with a Chicago social service agency. She began her career in commercial banking and spent 13 years with LaSalle Bank and Bank of America in Chicago.

She received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She serves on the Loan Committee and Community Advisory Committee for Partners for the Common Good, a community development financial institution based in D.C.

Jen Kraemer

Vice President of Talent Management

Jennifer Kraemer, Vice President of Talent Management, joined IFF in January 2014. She is responsible for the creation, development, and execution of operational and strategic initiatives relating to IFF’s people and talent. The Vice President is responsible for positioning IFF as the employer of choice by focusing on our people, advocating for best practice, and being aware of policies, practices and trends within the industry to best support IFF’s mission.

Jennifer Kraemer has more than 19 years of experience leading the human resources function in both for profit and non-profit settings. She is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

Joe Neri

Chief Executive Officer

Joe Neri leads a staff of over 150 highly dedicated and talented professionals working across finance, real estate, development, policy, research, program management, and more.

With 40 years of comprehensive community development experience, Joe has broad, direct experience in nonprofit management, community facility finance, planning and development; affordable housing; community small business lending; child care facilities design, finance, systems planning, and charter school authorizing; and development. He is a passionate writer and advocate for the power of the nonprofit sector as engines of change. He currently serves as a visiting fellow at the Urban Institute.

Joe first joined IFF in 1997 and established IFF’s real estate consulting and research businesses, led IFF’s expansion to 10 states, and created Home First, a housing development corporation for persons with disabilities.

He is past chair of the Board and Treasurer for Allies for Community Business, serves on the Community Advisory Committee for U.S. Bank, chairs the CDFI/FHLB Working Group, and previously served on the Community Advisory Committee of the St. Louis Federal Reserve and numerous nonprofit Boards.

Prior to joining IFF, Joe was associate director of The Resurrection Project, a nationally recognized Chicago community development corporation that he helped to create.

Joe has held adjunct instructor positions at the graduate planning schools of the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois, Chicago. He holds a master’s degree in city planning from University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s in urban affairs from Grinnell College.

José Cerda III

Chief of Staff

José Cerda III oversees public policy, communications, resource development, and talent management, and serves on the senior leadership team.

José has a more than 25-year track record of developing, communicating, and advocating for effective public policy solutions. Prior to IFF, he served as a senior advisor to Vice President Joe Biden; as a special assistant for Domestic Policy to President Bill Clinton; and as chief of policy for Mayor Richard M. Daley of Chicago. In addition, he has worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, as well as in Chicago’s Department of Planning and Development. José is a graduate of Harvard University, where he studied government.

Kirby Burkholder

President, Core Business Solutions

Kirby Burkholder joined IFF in 2001 as a manager working on real estate consulting projects in the Chicago area, where his projects ranged from discreet consulting reports to $38 million development projects. From 2007-2013, Mr. Burkholder served as executive director of IFF’s St. Louis office, where the loan portfolio grew to more than $75 million under his direction. No stranger to building new IFF territories, he relocated to Detroit in December 2013 to lead IFF’s expansion into Michigan and Ohio. As IFF vice president and executive director of the Eastern Region, Mr. Burkholder grew the Detroit office to 14 FTEs providing the full-range of IFF services.

From 2017-2022, Mr. Burkholder served as president of IFF’s Social Impact Accelerator, managing the organization’s research and evaluation practice, talent management, and proactive real estate development efforts, as well as special teams focused on transforming sectors such as early childhood education, schools, and housing for people with disabilities.

In June 2022, Mr. Burkholder was appointed president of Core Business Solutions and now leads IFF’s lending, real estate consulting, and development services across the Midwest.

Previously, Burkholder served as a commercial development manager with The Resurrection Project in Chicago and earned his master’s in urban planning from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He currently serves on the executive committee for the National Children Facilities Network and is the board chair of Community Desk Chicago.

Michael Goldberg

Senior Vice President of Real Estate Solutions

Michael Goldberg has over 30 years of experience designing and implementing effective community development strategies. He joined IFF in March of 2021 to lead and manage IFF’s real estate consulting practice. The Real Estate Solutions team consists of 25+ professionals that provide their nonprofit clients and IFF colleagues with expert advice and comprehensive services to address real estate and facility needs.

Before joining IFF, Michael served as the executive director and director of real estate development of Heartland Housing, a Chicago-based nonprofit developer that created and managed affordable housing throughout the Midwest. He also previously served as a senior planner with SmithGroupJJR, as well as staff planner for the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development.

Michael received a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He currently serves as co-chair of the Financing Workgroup of the Illinois Reentry Council and participates as IFF’s representative on the Chicagoland Opportunity Zones Consortium. He also served on the Pipeline Expansion Committee for the Chicago Continuum of Care.

Mollie Dowling

Vice President of Resource Development

A member of IFF’s senior leadership team, Mollie Dowling leads the organization’s fundraising strategy and stewardship of philanthropic partners in her role as the vice president of resource development. Prior to joining IFF, Mollie served as the executive director and chief fundraiser for OAI, Inc. – a national nonprofit headquartered in Chicago that provides employment pathways, education, and job training for low-income communities of color. In addition to managing a diverse portfolio of more than 30 funders and raising more than $40 million to support the organization’s mission during her tenure, Mollie managed a variety of federal, state, and private workforce development initiatives serving employers and aligning with regional economic development efforts.   

An avid runner, beekeeper, mom, and vegetarian home cook, Mollie earned a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies from Northeastern Illinois University, a master’s degree in Community Development from North Park University, and fellowships from the University of Chicago’s Civic Leadership Academy and Leadership Greater Chicago. She currently serves as a commissioner on the Governor’s Illinois Workforce Equity and Access Commission and sits on numerous area boards, including the Supply Chain Innovation Center and Business Incubator at Governors State University, the Chicago Jobs Council, the Wisdom Project, and the Muslim Women’s Resource Center. 

Nakea West

Chief Equity and Diversity Officer

Nakea West is the chief equity and diversity officer (CEDO) for IFF, leading strategy to develop, implement, evaluate, and monitor IFF’s commitment to become a diverse, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive organization. In this role, Nakea partners with IFF’s Senior Leadership Team and the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Transformation Team (EDITT) to set an overarching vision for equity, diversity, and inclusion at IFF, and to support the implementation of that vision. Nakea also engages internal and external partners to create an inclusive organizational culture in which diverse, lived experiences and perspectives are celebrated and leveraged to tackle racist and oppressive systems, policies, and practices at the intersection of nonprofit facilities and finance.

Previously, Nakea was IFF’s managing director of resource development, leading IFF’s work with philanthropic partners to maximize the organization’s impact across the Midwest. She also served as Co-Chair of EDITT’s inaugural team.

Nakea has more than 15 years of experience leading nonprofit fundraising. Prior to joining IFF in 2018, Nakea led strategic fundraising and funder engagement for Project Vote and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, both in Washington, D.C. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science from The University of Chicago.

O. Victoria Lakes-Battle

Executive Director - Chicago Metro Region

O. Victoria “Vickie” Lakes-Battle has been at the forefront of commercial and mission-based lending for over 30 years and has developed a recipe for equitably serving communities: time + proximity + authentic partnerships. When you think of Vickie, you think of a master connector who is acutely aware of the nuances in building strategic alliances and partnerships that bolster relationships, systems, and equity within communities and organizations.

With a never-ending reserve of expertise in community development, finance, and executive leadership, Vickie Lakes-Battle leads with equity, purpose, and strategy in everything she does.

On a mission to invest, redevelop and empower low-income communities to activate their visions, Vickie became IFF’s first-ever executive director for the Chicago Metro region. She oversees IFF’s full-range of services including lending, real estate consulting, and the community strategies program where she is adept at targeting and cultivating opportunities that support IFF goals and objectives. In this role, Vickie understands the necessity of cooperative engagement and active partnerships that expand the resources available to serve low- and moderate-income individuals and communities. She is a trusted thought partner to community-based organizations, the broader community development sector, and philanthropy.

Vickie’s ability to innovate at every turn – economically, socially, and organizationally – has been recognized throughout the Chicagoland area and nationally. Vickie challenges others to look at community development finance through an equity lens and is willing to ask and wrestle with the tough questions.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Public Health Institute, Arts Alliance Illinois, Cook County Land Bank Authority, AMPT: Advancing Nonprofits, and is on the Steering Committees of Elevated Chicago and We Rise Together. Vickie’s track record positions her as a success benchmark for leaders in the commercial and mission lending and equitable community development space.

Vickie holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Chicago State University.

Stephen Westbrooks

Executive Director - Southern Region

Stephen Westbrooks serves as executive director of IFF’s Southern Region. As executive director, Stephen is responsible for providing strategic leadership and management of operations, lending, and consulting activities in Southern Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. Stephen previously led IFF’s lending practice in the Southern Region, working on projects that focused on early childhood centers, fresh food access, and general human services sectors. Prior to joining IFF in January 2016, Stephen served as an underwriter/developer for Affordable Equity Partners, where he underwrote Low-Income Housing Tax Credit transactions and led the development of Affordable Equity Partners’ New Markets Tax Credit Program.

Stephen is an active community volunteer, previously serving as president of Habitat for Humanity St. Louis’s Board, a member of Tower Grove Park Foundation’s Board, and a member of Tower Grove Park’s Board’s Building and Grounds Committee.

Stephen received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Vanderbilt University and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis. Stephen is an Eagle Scout, the highest rank from Boy Scouts of America. His hobbies include leisure reading, weightlifting, and supporting the St. Louis Cardinals.

Tara Townsend

President, Social Impact Accelerator

Named president of IFF’s Social Impact Accelerator in June 2022, Dr. Tara Townsend leads IFF’s work to accelerate positive social impact and systems change by meeting nonprofit sector needs and addressing place-based challenges throughout the Midwest. Dr. Townsend previously served as senior vice president of IFF’s research and evaluation practice, which informs and guides strategic planning and the investment of resources in order to maximize the transformational impact on low-income and disabled communities.

Townsend brings to her role more than 20 years of applied research and evaluation experience in the nonprofit and public spheres within a number of sectors, including criminal justice, public health, and education. Prior to joining IFF in 2018, she served as the chief impact strategy officer for ArtsWave, the Greater Cincinnati region’s local arts agency and the nation’s first and largest community campaign for the arts, and as a housing policy analyst with the City of New Orleans in the key years following Hurricane Katrina.

Townsend holds a bachelor’s degree from Emory University and a Ph.D. in social and organizational psychology from Temple University.

Terrence Young

Chief Credit Officer

Terrence Young serves as IFF’s senior vice President and chief credit officer. He brings to this position deep experience in the areas of real estate lending and small business financing. Mr. Young has worked with both large corporations and small community organizations throughout his career. Most recently, he served as director of commercial real estate at BMO Harris Bank in Chicago and, prior to that, director of commercial banking at Urban Partnership Bank of Chicago. At Urban Partnership Bank, he was responsible for supervising all commercial lending and portfolio management operations.

Mr. Young also spent many years working for the Fannie Mae Corporation in a variety of leadership roles related to community development, community outreach, and finance. His work at Fannie Mae included supervising a team of community development professionals throughout the western half of the United States. As a hands-on owner of commercial real estate, Mr. Young has first-hand experience and knowledge of what it takes to bring a community development project from concept to reality.

Mr. Young serves on the boards of Dunamis Community Advocate Services, Greater Englewood Community Development Corporation, IDEAL Education Foundation, and Hispanic Housing Development Corporation. He earned his bachelor’s degree in finance and his MBA in accounting/finance from the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana. Terrence is also a Certified Public Accountant and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.