Fifth Third Bank convened the inaugural meeting of its newly formed Florida Community Advisory Forum on May 17th. This follows the official convening of the national Community Advisory Forum in Cincinnati on May 12th.
The convening of the Community Advisory Forums, or CAFs, fulfills a key promise made in Fifth Third’s $30 billion community commitment. The five-year plan is designed to make a long-lasting positive impact in the lives of individuals within communities served by Fifth Third, particularly those in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. The commitment includes mortgage lending, small business lending, micro-lending, community development lending and investments, as well as Fifth Third Impact Initiatives, including philanthropy, financial empowerment programming, branches and staffing, and inclusion and diversity. Fifth Third invested $7.88 billion, or 26.3 percent, of the commitment in 2016, as announced in its first-year results report.
“I am excited to participate in Fifth Third’s Florida Community Advisory Forum because the bank’s $30 billion community commitment for the markets it serves will result in significant investments in and benefits to underserved low- and moderate-income communities across Fifth Third’s footprint and here in Florida,” said Cora Fulmore, President, Florida Housing Counselor Network. “The dollars will result in new branches and increased small business and mortgage lending. All of this will help create jobs and provide needed community amenities.”
Fifth Third’s Florida Regional CAF is chaired by Fifth Third Bank Regional Community and Economic Development Director Jadira Hoptry. The Florida Regional CAF will meet twice per year and consists of 15 community leaders from across Florida. All told, the five regional CAFs consist of 75 community leaders throughout the footprint. The national CAF, which has 18 members who will meet three times per year, is chaired by Fifth Third Bancorp Executive Vice President Brian Lamb. Lamb was regional president of Fifth Third Bank North Florida before assuming his current position in late 2016.
The CAFs continue a long-standing tradition of Fifth Third’s engagement with community leadership. Over the course of 2016, Fifth Third leadership held 154 community engagement sessions, with the majority of those conducted with organizations affiliated with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition.
“Convening our community advisory forums is a strategic part of how Fifth Third is keeping the customer at the center of everything we do,” said Jadira Hoptry. “The members of our national and regional forums represent our 10 Consumer Bank states and their work in our communities will help guide our actions to ensure we are best meeting their needs.”
“When we made our $30 billion community commitment, we pledged to assemble advisory forums and work with community leadership to affect positive change,” Lamb added. “Fulfilling this pledge brings together a national CAF with a combined 470 years of experience in community development. We are poised to accomplish great things together.”
The members of the Florida CAF include:
Debra Reyes
President and CEO
Neighborhood Lending Partners
Tampa, Florida
Eileen Rodriguez
Regional Director
Florida SBDC
Tampa, Florida
Ernest Coney
CEO
CDC of Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Glen Gilzean, Jr.
President & CEO
Central Florida Urban League
Orlando, Florida
Vanessa McCleary
Community Development Manager
City of Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Susan Pourciau
COO & Director of Homeless Training and Technical Assistance
Florida Housing Coalition
St. Petersburg, Florida
Veronica Culbertson
President & CEO
Southwest Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Fort Myers, Florida
Germaine Smith Baugh
President & CEO
Urban League of Broward County
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Arden Shank
President & CEO
Neighborhood Housing Services of South Florida
Miami, Florida
Anthony Jones
President and CEO
Bright Community Trust
Clearwater, Florida
Cornell Crews
Executive Director
Community Reinvestment Alliance of South Florida
Miami, Florida
Cora Fulmore
President
Florida Housing Counselor Network
Ocoee, Florida
Erika Cooks
Director
Lee County Housing Development Corporation
Fort Myers, Florida
Don Patterson
Developer
REVA Development Corporation
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Lois Haley
President & CEO
Affordable Homeownership Foundation
Fort Myers, Florida
More information about the Community Commitment is available in the Company’s 2016 Corporate Social Responsibility Report and at www.53.com/commitment.
