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Toby Rittner
Council of Development Finance Agencies
President & CEO
Toby Rittner is the President & CEO of Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), a national association dedicated to the advancement of development finance concerns and interests. CDFA is comprised of the nation’s leading and most ... knowledgeable members of the development finance community representing hundreds of public, private and non-profit development finance agencies. Mr. Rittner runs the day-to-day operations of the Council including the organization’s various educational, advocacy, research, resources, and networking initiatives. He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the CDFA Foundation.
Rittner is one of the most vocal and recognized leaders of the development finance industry nationwide and has advised local, state, and federal leaders, including Presidents Biden and Obama, on economic development finance policy. Through his leadership and guidance, CDFA was successful in preserving private activity bonds and other critical development finance tools during the 2017 tax reform deliberations and has had numerous pieces of legislation introduced in the United States Congress. In 2021, Rittner successfully led a national effort to reauthorize and fund the $10B State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) program as part of the American Rescue Plan Act. He has written and crafted dozens of strategic finance plans for development finance agencies and advised communities throughout the world on development finance approaches.
Rittner focuses on sustainable finance with an emphasis on infrastructure, clean energy, food systems, small business, and innovations in the development finance industry to drive sustainable outcomes. He has written extensively about impact ready initiatives that leverage and engage capital in ways that drive local sustainability in business and industry and the environment and economy.
Rittner is a frequent speaker at local, state, and national conferences and events focused on economic development finance. He has been featured in The Bond Buyer, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, NPR and other national media publications concerning the advancement of development finance tools. He is the author of CDFA's highly acclaimed Practitioner's Guide to Economic Development Finance and co-author of CDFA's Unlocking Capital: A Handbook for Becoming a High Performing Development Finance Agency.
Rittner is an adjunct faculty member at The Ohio State University and Carnegie Mellon University. He is also a Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) and has completed the prestigious Oxford University Sustainable Finance Foundation Course.
Mr. Rittner previously served on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Financial Advisory Board and is a member of the Advisory Board for the National Community Fund I. Mr. Rittner holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master's of City and Regional Planning degree from The Ohio State University. Mr. Rittner was awarded the Ohio State University College of Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2016. (More)
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Angela Blatt
Council of Development Finance Agencies
Director
As a Director in the Strategy & Services Division at the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), Angela focuses on the W.K. Kellogg Foundation-funded initiative “Defining the Food System Asset Class,” whereby CDFA explores opportunities for ... the advancement of local and regional food systems using development finance tools. Through this initiative, Angela collaborates with communities across the country providing technical assistance and producing strategic plans for development finance strategies that meet infrastructure, agriculture, and small business needs to support equitable, local food economies. Angela leads CDFA’s Food Systems Finance Advisory Council, joining the food and finance industries, and administers CDFA’s Food Systems Finance Webinar Series, connecting food-related businesses and projects with development finance agencies. In 2021, she gained Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) certification through the CDFA Training Institute.
A Navy Veteran, Angela holds two degrees from The Ohio State University: a Master of Public Administration with a focus on Food Policy from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs, and a Bachelor of Science from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. (More)
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Zeyu Zhang
Zeyu Zhang is the Manager of Resources & Content in the Knowledge & Networks Division of the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). Her focus areas include bond, infrastructure finance, energy, PACE, and P3. She contributes to the team by ... managing federal programs, conducting research on development finance-related topics, generating reports, and performing data analysis.
Zeyu received her Ph.D. degree in Mass Communication at Ohio University in 2021. She has expertise in media studies, research designs, and data analysis. She has a Master’s degree in Digital Storytelling from Ball State University. Prior to joining CDFA, she worked as a researcher, instructor, research assistant, and program assistant. She is excited to advance her career by deepening her knowledge in the field of development finance. (More)
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Andres Caro
Council of Development Finance Agencies
Manager, Advocacy & Government Affairs
Andres Caro is the Manager, Advocacy & Government Affairs in the Strategy & Services Division at CDFA. He is responsible for managing CDFA’s vast advocacy, legislative, policy, public affairs, and federal relations activities. This includes the ... production of the annual policy agenda, the Federal Policy Conference, and leading Capitol Hill engagement. Caro is also responsible for managing the CDFA Legislative Committee and works to provide access to CDFA Federal Services to communities throughout the country. His responsibilities have also spanned research, technical assistance, and coordination of grant contracts.
Andres holds a B.S. in Political Science from The Pennsylvania State University. (More)
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