Towsley policymaker Dudley Benoit (MPP '95) to teach Community Development Finance | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
 
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Towsley policymaker Dudley Benoit (MPP '95) to teach Community Development Finance

June 27, 2017

Ford School alumnus Dudley Benoit (MPP ’95) will return to us this fall to serve as the next Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence.

Benoit is an expert on community development financial institutions (CDFI), private financial institutions that offer responsible, affordable loans to support improvement projects in low-income communities. He currently serves as the director of community development investments at Santander, one of the largest retail banks in the U.S.. He is also the board chair and credit committee chair of New Jersey Community Capital, a CDFI that provides financing and technical assistance to build homes and schools in low-income communities.

Benoit previously spent five years managing the intermediaries lending group at Chase Bank’s community development unit, where he directed financing to intermediaries to develop affordable housing, daycare centers, and other community facilities.

At the Ford School, Benoit will teach Community Development Finance: Lessons from the Field, a course open to both undergraduate and graduate students, which aims to introduce students to finance, real estate development, affordable housing, and urban policy issues. He will also give a public lecture on community development finance during the fall (details forthcoming).