Let’s Welcome New Board Members!
CDFI Friendly South Bend is pleased to welcome five new members to its Board of Directors for the 2026–2029 term. The new board members have been engaging since being appointed at the end of then year and joined the full board at the organization’s March 2026 retreat, where board leadership focused on refining the organization’s mission and planning for future impact.
The new board members bring experience across entrepreneurship, financial counseling, impact investing, nonprofit leadership, and the CDFI sector. Their backgrounds strengthen the organization’s ability to expand access to capital for entrepreneurs across the region.
“As our work continues to grow, it’s important that our board reflects both the financial expertise and the lived experience of the communities we serve,” said Executive Director Sam Cintiz. “This group brings strong insight into small business finance, entrepreneurship, and community development, which will help guide the next phase of our work.”
View our full board page HERE
Introducing our new board members:
Raina Adams, Financial Counselor at the South Bend Financial Empowerment Center. Adams brings direct borrower-facing financial coaching experience. She works closely with neighborhood residents to build financial stability and does consulting through her local company, ______.
Catlin Bulger, Senior Associate at FiNSYNC. Bulger brings experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, entrepreneurship, and small business development and is motivated to contribute to strategy and organizational growth.
Sonja Karnovsky, Manager on the CDFI Services Team at Baker Tilly. Karnovsky brings deep knowledge of the CDFI sector along with experience in fundraising and grant support. She previously worked for the City of South Bend played a key role in the organization’s early development.
Alejandro Saucedo, CEO of Indiana Elite Services. Saucedo brings firsthand entrepreneurial experience, minority business enterprise contracting expertise, and direct experience working with CDFI Friendly. Alex was in our initial Capital Coaching client cohort that we help access capital for business growth.
Rebecca Spohrer, is a former Impact Manager at Triodos Investment Management. Spohrer contributes expertise in impact investing, sustainable finance, and impact measurement, with a focus on advancing equitable economic development.
The new members participated in their first board retreat in March, joining board and staff leaders in discussions focused on refining CDFI Friendly’s mission and strengthening the organization’s long-term strategy. More about the retreat can be found here (Board Retreat Recap).
CDFI Friendly South Bend works to connect entrepreneurs with responsible lenders and capital opportunities while building partnerships across the financial ecosystem to improve access to financing for small businesses.
With the addition of these new board members, the organization continues building the leadership and partnerships needed to expand access to capital and support the entrepreneurs driving economic growth across Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan.
