2007 Selection Committee for the $5.5 Million and $2.75 Million Awards

The Selection Committee includes senior executives from Wachovia and the MacArthur Foundation as well as highly regarded CDFI leaders and experts in banking, social policy, philanthropy, economics, organizational development, and technology. This distinguished and diverse group of experts will bring a wide range of expertise and perspectives to the process of selecting the second round of Wachovia NEXT Award recipients. Specifically, they will assess the qualifications and merits of the semi-finalists relative to the selection criteria, conduct in-person interviews with finalists, and select the award recipients.

The 2008 Selection Committee remains in formation. You are invited to check back soon for exciting updates. As of March 17, 2008, the 2008 Selection Committee members and their affiliations are listed below:

Sir Ronald Cohen
Founder and Chairman
The Portland Trust
London, England

Frank DeGiovanni
Director
Economic Development
Ford Foundation
New York, NY

Martin Eakes
President and CEO
Self-Help
Durham, NC

Paul Light
Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service
Wagner School
New York University
New York, NY

Eugene Ludwig
Chairman and CEO
Promontory Interfinancial Network
Arlington, VA

Elsie Meeks
Executive Director
First Nations Oweesta Corporation
Rapid City, SD

Cecilia Muñoz
Sr. Vice President
Office of Research, Advocacy, and Legislation
National Council of La Raza
Washington, DC

Jeremy Nowak
President and CEO
The Reinvestment Fund
Philadelphia, PA

Sharon Oster
Professor
Yale School of Management
Yale University
New Haven, CT

Mark Pinsky
President and CEO
Opportunity Finance Network
Philadelphia, PA

Luther Ragin, Jr.
Vice President, Investments
F. B. Heron Foundation
New York, NY

Michael Rizer
Co-Chair, Selection Committee
Executive Vice President
Wachovia Foundation
Charlotte, NC

Debra Schwartz
Co-Chair, Selection Committee
Director Program-related Investments
MacArthur Foundation
Chicago, IL

Julia Stasch
Vice President
Program on Human and Community Development
MacArthur Foundation
Chicago, IL

Eileen Stenerson
Sr. Vice President
Community Development Finance
Wachovia
Charlotte, NC

Christa Velasquez
Director of Social Investments
Annie E. Casey Foundation
Baltimore, MD