New York, NY According to Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise) Gwen Robinson and Jim Baek have been elected to join the Enterprise New York Advisory Board. Robinson is the director of corporate social responsibility and the community reinvestment act officer for Santander Bank, N.A. Baek is a director at Deutsche Bank Community Development.
“For years, Gwen and Jim have been important partners with Enterprise through their support of innovative solutions for preserving affordable housing and addressing family homelessness. Their shared leadership in investing in communities goes beyond their professional life, with both actively engaged in local nonprofits and community development outside the office,” said David Cavalier, co-chair, Enterprise New York Advisory Board and chairman and CFO, Aeolus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
“The insight and expertise Gwen and Jim bring to the New York Advisory Board will be invaluable in supporting Enterprise’s work creating affordable housing. We are fortunate to welcome them to our team,” added Todd A. Gomez, Co-chair, Enterprise New York Advisory Board and Northeast Region Executive, Community Development Banking Group, Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
As Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Community Reinvestment Act Officer for Santander Bank, Gwen leads the bank’s community development investment, grant making activities and financial education programs. She also partners with mortgage, small business and commercial business lines to ensure the bank meets the credit needs of its communities. She joined the Bank in March 2014 and has over 15 years of experience in community development, including roles at the New York State Department of Financial Services, Goldman Sachs, General Electric and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Gwen received her B.A. in Political Economy from Harvard College and her M.S. in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
At Deutsche Bank, Jim oversees U.S. community development lending and investing in support of the Bank’s Community Reinvestment Act and corporate social responsibility mandate. Previously, he underwrote affordable housing and community facility loans for the Low Income Investment Fund and structured mortgage revenue bonds for Citigroup. He also lived and worked in the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan where he supported the development of a mortgage finance agency as an MBA Enterprise Corps consultant. Jim graduated from Grinnell College with a B.A. in political science and the University of Michigan with an M.B.A. He serves on the boards of the MinKwon Center for Community Action in Flushing and IMPACCT Brooklyn.