LARGO, MD (February 1, 2019) – FSC First, the premier lending partner for businesses in the region, is pleased to announce the appointment of its four officers and four new members: Kenneth L. White, Senior Vice President, Revere Bank (Chairman); Diane Brown, COO, Prince George’s Community Federal Credit Union (Vice Chair); Maurice D. Walker, Managing General Partner, Birch Advisors (Treasurer); Eben Smith, President & CEO, Three E Consulting Group (Corporate Secretary); John Hale, III, CEO, The Cornerstone Group, LLC (Member); Garrett P. Jackson (Special Assistant, Housing Opportunities Commission (Member); Mirinda Jackson, MBE Compliance Manager, Prince George’s County (Member); and Michael R. White, Senior Integrated Marketing Specialist, Radio One (Member).
The new members join a group of the region’s business leaders dedicated to providing leadership and guidance to ensure that FSC First remains a leading provider of creative and innovative business financing solutions to established and emerging businesses in the State of Maryland. Under the direction of FSC First’s newly elected officers, Board of Directors, and FSC First’s President and CEO Shelly Gross-Wade, FSC First remains committed to providing comprehensive loan administration services for loan programs that stimulate the growth and development of the local economy while providing excellent customer service.
“We are excited that these very dedicated and committed business leaders have accepted the opportunity to provide comprehensive leadership, fiscal oversight and
governance to our non-profit organization,” said Shelly Gross-Wade, President and CEO. “Their shared competencies will assist FSC First in remaining relevant and value-add as a direct lender in Prince George’s County and indeed the State of Maryland.”
Ken White’s career spans over 34 years. Ken’s passion for business and finance was sparked in high school through a Junior Achievement Program. After 19 years at Bank of America, Ken launched New Day Consulting, a small business consulting company. Committed to helping small businesses, he designed an entrepreneurial curriculum for a local university and created lending programs for multiple financial institutions.
In 2012, Ken joined Revere Bank where he currently serves as Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending.
As Chief Operating Officer of Prince George’s Community Federal Credit Union, Diane Brown’s passion is in assisting the residents and businesses of the county to grow and excel. She started her banking career in the management training program with M&T Bank, formerly Citizens Savings bank. She has also held leadership positions as SunTrust, Citibank, and PNC Bank. Diane is a lifelong resident of Prince George’s County and an alumnus of the University of Maryland.
Maurice Walker is the Managing Partner of Birch Advisors, a practice focused on delivering comprehensive real estate solutions to government entities, institutions and owners nationwide. Over the past 21 years, he has worked in the commercial real estate and finance industry, first with LaSalle Partners/Jones Lang LaSalle, followed by a senior executive stint with Walker & Dunlop/Green Park Financial, a lending multifamily lender. Maurice has asset managed over $6 billion in multifamily, office and retail projects. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical and computer engineering from Purdue University and an MBA with concentrations in Information Systems, General Management and Entrepreneurship from Harvard Business School.
Eben Smith has over two decades of business management experience in both the public and private sectors with key emphasis in supplier diversity, strategic sourcing, economic and business development, contracting and procurement, community engagement, compliance, program management, process improvement and data management. He currently serves as the President & CEO at THREE|E Consulting Group. Over the last 20 years, he has worked closely with other regional, state and local leaders to create jobs, grow the economy and create capacity in the local and minority business community. He is a graduate of the Morehouse College and a life-long Prince Georgian.
John Hale, III is the CEO of The Cornerstone Group, LLC, a consultancy that provides actionable strategic advice to business enterprises in the areas of access to capital, strategic partnerships and revenue growth strategies with the objective of enhancing their financial sustainability. John brings a wealth of business experience in the areas of corporate lending and restructuring, energy, infrastructure finance, and federal government contracting.
Prior to launching The Cornerstone Group, LLC, John served in the Obama administration first as the Deputy Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access at the U.S. Small Business Administration and later as the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) at the U.S. Department of Energy. John earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Master’s degree in Finance from Carnegie Mellon University.
Garrett Jackson is the Special Assistant to the Executive Director of the Housing Opportunities Commission in Montgomery County, MD. In his role, Garrett delivers senior-level leadership and support to a major housing, real estate and services organization with revenues of $240 million.
Prior to joining the Housing Opportunities Commission, Garrett provided client services, data analysis, project management and strategic communications services across multiple federal government agencies at Deloitte Consulting, LLP. Garrett is dedicated to leveraging public-private partnerships, removing barriers to economic development and investment that increase the well-being of all communities. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Morgan State University and a Master of Public Policy with a concentration on Urban Policy from The George Washington University.
Mirinda Jackson is the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Compliance Manager for Prince George’s County Council. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring local businesses are utilized residents are hired at various major development projects in the County including the MGM at the National Harbor.
Mirinda completed a distinguished career with the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in 2000, spanning 34 years and seven Presidential Administrations. Her responsibilities included oversight of a procurement program that had an annual budget of more than $20 billion, which impacted the entire agency’s contracting population – more than 14,000 personnel. Mirinda is known for her passion for working with small business owners. She has a Master’s in Government Contracting from the George Washington University School of Business and Public Management.
| Michael White is a Senior Integrated Media Specialist at Radio One. In this capacity, he is responsible for developing and maintaining a local client list of direct advertisers and advertising agencies. Prior to joining Radio One, Michael was a media consultant at Super Media, formerly Idearc Media, a Station Manager at CBS Radio where he was responsible for the day to day operations of the radio station and managed over a $3 million budget. Michael holds a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Hampton University. |
FSC First is the premier direct lending partner for businesses in the region, providing creative and innovative financing to grow and sustain the local economy. Founded in 1978, FSC First is a Certified Development Company (CDC), designated by the U.S. Small Business Administration to market and process SBA 504 loans in the State of Maryland and a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Treasury. FSC First provides comprehensive loan administration services for various loan programs to foster thriving businesses in the region. For more information, please visit fscfirst.com.
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Media Contact:
Veronica Jeon
V. Agency, Inc.
202-803-3303
vjeon@vagencyinc.com
