Meet Carly Perera, MAF’s new Program Manager

MAF’s team just got bigger!

Hi everyone,

I’m thrilled to be joining MAF as their newest team member! As you can see, MAF’s partnerships are growing by the day and I have the pleasure of training all of the groundbreaking organizations we work with to get Lending Circles across the nation.

One thing many of you may not know is I previously worked at one of MAF’s first partners in Oakland, CA until it closed at the end of December 2011. Although the closure itself was sad, I was doubly disappointed I would not be able to continue gathering Lending Circles in Oakland when we barely got a running start. Lucky for me, Jose Quinonez and MAF had another plan. They took me on as a full-time Program Manager in February to continue the organization’s commitment to expanding Lending Circles in Oakland and the surrounding East Bay community.

The fit could not have been better! I was born, raised, and educated in the Bay Area (I received my MBA from Mills College in Oakland, CA and my BS in Community Development from UC Davis in Davis, CA) and previously advised immigrant women-owned small businesses.  The Lending Circles program is ever more important, especially in Oakland as building credit is one of the most prominent barriers I witnessed as a Small Business Advisor for newly arrived immigrants. Oakland is ripe for this new model of community building and as a Bay Area native, I’m even more committed to getting more Oakland residents involved.  

To my Oakland neighbors, let’s work together to bring this program to your community!

To MAF’s partners, I hope I can offer my unique perspective as both a former partner and a MAF insider. Feel free to reach out to me to pick my brain on outreach ideas, get answers to technical questions on MAF’s new Terms of Use, or get a sympathetic ear when you have to call back participants to fill out that Promissory Note again.

Look forward to hearing from you,

Carly

Facebook: Carly Maf

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Office: 415.839.5013
Cell: 510.269.7499