Chief Executive Officer

Position Profile:

The President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is the strategic, operational, and external leader of Baltimore Community Lending, responsible for driving the organization's next era of growth and community impact. The CEO sets a clear vision, safeguards financial strength and portfolio performance, and leads a high-performing team dedicated to mission-aligned lending and equitable development. As the public face of BCL, the CEO will build influential relationships across Baltimore's civic, philanthropic, banking, and policy networks, elevating the organization's visibility and presence. This leader will diversify capitalization, advance innovative lending strategies, and uphold BCL's commitment to equity and inclusive economic opportunity. The CEO will guide the organization through a pivotal phase of scaling—expanding assets, strengthening operations, and ensuring that lending and technical assistance are responsive to community needs. They will model transparency, accountability, and cultural stewardship while positioning BCL as a regional and national leader in community development finance.

Must-Have's

• Deep Lending, Credit & Financial LeadershipBrings strong lending, underwriting, and risk-management expertise (banking background ideal; CDFI/CDC preferred). Able to navigate funding headwinds, understand small-business and real-estate lending cycles, and balance financial discipline with mission-aligned lending. Strong capital-raising and funder relationship skills
  
• Community-Centered, Baltimore-Connected Relationship BuilderA visible, personable leader who builds trust quickly and shows up in the community. Ideally familiar with Baltimore's civic, philanthropic, banking, and neighborhood ecosystems; if not, must be able to establish credibility and strong local relationships rapidly
  
• Proven Executive, People & Culture Leader: Experienced in motivating and developing diverse, multigenerational teams. Collaborative, non–top-down manager who strengthens internal operations, improves customer service, builds the next layer of leadership, and supports organization-wide succession planning
• Strategic, Growth-Oriented Visionary & Skilled Advocate: Able to guide BCL through economic/political shifts, diversify capital sources, scale responsibly ($100–125M in assets), and extend regional/national presence. Clear communicator who can articulate BCL's value, engage policymakers, support advocacy efforts, and participate in statewide CDFI coalition-building
• Strong Mission Alignment & Equity-Driven Leadership: Authentic commitment to BCL's mission with a deep belief in equity, culturally responsive lending, and meaningful engagement with communities of color. Protects mission integrity regardless of political climate; brings fresh energy, creativity, and a modern leadership mindset
• National Network & External Visibility: Existing national relationships in the CDFI, community development, or philanthropic sectors that help elevate BCL's profile and open new capital channels. Ability to represent BCL on regional and national stages (OFN, SBA, industry convenings)

For more information, view the full position profile here: https://tinyurl.com/439ct347

Who We Are

Baltimore Community Lending, Inc. (BCL) is a mission-driven, certified CDFI serving the Baltimore metro region, providing flexible capital and technical assistance to support community development, small business growth, and equitable neighborhood revitalization.

What We Do

Revitalizing our communities together through

affordable lending products. We are a mission-based certified community development financial institution (CDFI). We lend to small businesses and real estate developers who invest in low-income, low-wealth, and other disinvested communities.

• We support commercial real estate developers who are committed to revitalizing underserved neighborhoods
• We believe in increasing opportunities for affordable homeownership and rent, which contributes to
• neighborhood stabilization
• We provide capital to small businesses that face barriers to traditional financing by looking at each entrepreneur's whole story, rather than requiring a specific credit score or assets
• Our dedicated team provides comprehensive, ongoing support to startups, emerging, and growing small businesses to help them succeed