Board & Staff

Staff

click here for the Institute's Board of Directors

Inna Kinney, Founder and CEO

Inna Kinney is Founder and CEO of the Economic and Community Development Institute, a Central Ohio based community development non-profit, established in 2004 with offices in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Kinney’s experience with fundraising and management provided the foundation for the development of the Institute as an organization that impacts the community.

The Economic and Community Development Institute's work in Ohio focuses on small business development, home ownership, post secondary education and access to capital for all. Through its micro-loan certification from the U.S. Small Business Administration and a status as a Community Development Financial Institution through the U.S. Department of Treasury the Institute is a leader in micro-lending with a portfolio of over $10 million. The Institute is funded by over 30 local, state and national governmental and private sources.

As CEO of the Economic and Community Development Institute, her responsibilities center around supporting the long-term sustainability of the organization. Specific responsibilities include: setting the vision and strategic direction, fundraising, fiscal oversight and education of policy makers.

In addition to her duties as CEO of the Institute, Ms. Kinney serves the community as part of many local and national boards. Her board experience has been with the following organizations; Association for Enterprise Opportunity (a national membership organization supporting microenterprise development) and Microenterprise National Advisory Council, the United Way and Columbus Foundation Immigrant and Refugee Capacity Building Initiative Steering Committee; United Way Women Leadership Council, the Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Advisory Council; Huntington Bank Advisory Council; Ohio Refugee and Immigrant Advisory Committee.

Inna’s passion for economic development began in 1974 as she and her family became the first family resettled in Columbus from the former Soviet Union. Despite being new to the country and having limited English proficiency, Ms. Kinney’s family was able to achieve the American dream by starting a family business. She continues to teach these values through her work at the Economic and Community Development Institute and through her 3 children.

Her education at Ohio State University focused on international business, finance and economics. Inna is fluent in 3 languages. Both Inna and the Institute have been recognized on a national level as leaders in micro-enterprise development.

Steve Fireman, President

As an accomplished entrepreneur, Mr. Fireman has taken his experience and success as a business founder and owner to the non-profit world, where he currently serves as the President and General Counsel of the Economic and Community Development Institute. Additionally, Mr. Fireman focuses his practice on representing and counseling small business clients.

Mr. Fireman has used his success in risk management and strategic planning to form his own company, Supreme Title Agency. His expertise took the company from infancy to profitability in six months, increasing the bottom line by 40% in just three years. He was also able to build MidAmerican Finance & Home Equity from $600,000 in mortgages per month to $6 million monthly during his tenure as CEO. His management experience includes oversight of retail and wholesale operations, strategic planning, marketing, secondary marketing, sales, investor relations, vendor relationships, loan processing, underwriting, closing and funding. In addition, he managed six Division Managers.

Mr. Fireman served on the Institute's Board of Directors for the past five years as Board Chair, and most recently, as a Director. He has been able to apply his success in the business world to help the organization better serve current entrepreneurs through the Institute's lending department. Additionally, Mr. Fireman has helped to direct the Economic and Community Development Institute's vision, overseeing its development and ensuring that its programs continue to meet the needs of the community.

Mr. Fireman is a member of the Ohio and Columbus Bar Associations, American Corporate Counsel Association (ACCA), Mortgage Bankers Association and served on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters and Directions for Youth.

Jerome Jones, VP of Lending

Jerome W. Jones joined the Economic and Community Development Institute in June 2011 as VP of Lending. Prior to joining the Institute, Jerome served as the Vice President of Business Services at Telhio Credit Union where he was responsible for the business loan department. He was also a Vice President of Community Development Lending for Key Bank and a senior loan officer for Community Capital Development Corp. Jones is also very active in the central Ohio community, serving on the United Way of Central Ohio Finance Committee and the City of Columbus Loan Review Committee, as well as serving as a board member of the Columbus Urban League. Jones is also a certified Economic Development Finance professional and attended Jackson State University and is a graduate of Franklin University. He resides in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Elnetta and two children.

Donna Kates, Chief Financial Officer

Donna Kates joined the Economic and Community Development Iin January 2011 as Chief Financial Officer, bringing nearly 30 years of financial executive experience in non-profits. At the Institute, Donna is responsible for oversight of the Institute's finances, ensuring compliance with funders, managing accounts receivable/payable, processing of payroll, program budgeting, strategic planning, and fiscal reporting and portfolio management.

Prior to joining the Economic and Community Development Institute, Donna was the Vice President of Finance and CFO of Isles, Inc., a community development non-profit organization based in Trenton, New Jersey. At Isles, Inc., she managed an annual operating budget in excess of $10 million. She established reporting mechanisms to facilitate departmental management of budgets, developed accounting policies that increased protection of corporate assets, and coordinated the annual audit. Before her tenure at Isles, Donna spent 25 years as Vice President of Finance, then CFO, of the Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (AAHPERD).”

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Matthew Shad, VP of Development and New Initiatives

Mr. Shad joined the Economic and Community Development Institute in October 2011 as Vice President of Development and New Initiatives. In this role, he manages the internal operations within the Institute, and will be instrumental is developing new programming opportunities and funding resources going forward for the organization. Matt has served as a volunteer and Board Member from 2004-2011, and witnessed first-hand the powerful influence that the Institute's programs have had on thousands of people in the Columbus Region. Mr. Shad brings a wealth of economic development experience to the organization. He has been in public service for 18 years in the Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus Regions. Locally, his experience includes positions with Franklin County Economic Development where he served as an early funder for the Institute's revolving loan fund and as Deputy of Administration for the City of Whitehall, a community that has worked closely with the Institute's initiatives. Mr. Shad has a Bachelor’s Degree in Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton School of Law. He is a certified urban planner and a licensed lawyer in Ohio.

Pat Peakes, Director of Asset Development

ECD-29-of-78 Pat brings to the Economic and Community Development Institute more than 25 years as an administrative professional, with substantial experience in project coordination and management. Most recently, she served as Project Coordinator for JP Morgan Chase, contracting in Infrastructure & Operations and coordinating problems through resolution on a national project installing new technology. Furthermore, Pat acted as a liaison between users, and technical team leads to mitigate risks and ensure corporate standards were being met.