LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VEDC today announced the election of Nishen Radia as chair of the Board of Directors.
Radia is managing partner and co-founder of FocalPoint Partners, a leading middle-market investment banking firm with offices in Los Angeles and Chicago. He has served on the VEDC board since 2004 and during that time has worked on a number of committees to help further the organization’s mission. Radia has 18 years of experience advising owners of middle-market companies on mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity recapitalizations and financial restructurings. He previously worked in investment banking at Merrill Lynch, SocGen and Baring Brothers in London, New York and Hong Kong. Radia received his MBA with Distinction from the UCLA Anderson School of Management and graduated with honors with a degree in economics from the University of Bristol, England.
Scott Aney, senior vice president and regional manager of City National Bank’s Commercial Banking Services in Nevada, and the company’s local market leader will serve as vice chair of the VEDC Board of Directors. Aney previously held the position of senior vice president and regional manager for City National’s Commercial Banking Services in the San Fernando Valley where he led a team of financial services professionals in the coordinated delivery of the bank’s commercial banking, private banking and wealth management services. He has more than 35 years of experience in banking.
In addition to Radia and Aney, VEDC announced the following officer elections:
- Secretary – Anne Williams, chief operating and credit officer for California United Bank.
- Treasurer – Ariel Berrios, a shareholder in Buchalter Nemer’s Bank and Finance Practice Group in Los Angeles.
- Immediate Past Chair – Pegi Matsuda, senior vice president of community and market development for Valley Presbyterian Hospital.
“On behalf of VEDC, we are pleased to have the diverse experience of these individuals who share a common interest in creating and sustaining jobs and businesses in underserved communities across this nation,” says Roberto Barragan, President and CEO, VEDC. “I look forward to working with each of them as we pursue a growing footprint.”
Nishen Radia added, “It has been a pleasure working with the VEDC board and staff members over the last 12 years, most recently under the leadership of Pegi. I am excited and honored to take on this new responsibility and look forward to working with Roberto and his team to continue our fine mission.”
About VEDC
VEDC is a leading non-profit small business lender that is changing the way small business lending is done by making it more available and impactful. With a growing footprint, VEDC has lent $400 million in direct and guaranteed loans to over 104,000 small businesses and created more than 29,000 new jobs. VEDC’s mission, as a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), is to help create jobs and promote small business development in under-served communities. It provides loans and micro-financing options to small businesses, particularly those owned by women and minorities, that don’t qualify for traditional financing. VEDC’s expanding portfolio is composed of community-based loan funds in California, Illinois, Nevada, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Florida and New York. For more information, visit www.vedc.org.
