CSBDF Torch Newsletter

Partner and Stakeholder Newsletter | Volume 10 | March, 2026

CSBDF IN ACTION

CSBDF was well represented at the Johnston County Small Business Summit at Johnston Community College earlier this month. Thank you to CSBDF Business Solutions Officers Magaly Rivera and Monica Molina for their presence and representation of our organization!

In January, CSBDF hosted our annual Board Retreat at the Triangle Community Foundation in Research Triangle Park. We gathered our dedicated Board of Directors together to discuss our work and to collaborate and strategize on ways we can continue to make CSBDF a guiding light for small business owners in North Carolina.

Last month, CSBDF President & CEO Kevin Dick moderated a fireside chat at the Duke Energy sponsored Leadership North Carolina Economic Development Session in New Bern. This session featured NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) CEO Chris Chung.

STAFF MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

At CSBDF, we have a hard-working staff working to serve North Carolina's small business owners through our three-pillar approach of providing capital, technical assistance, and small business policy research. Each newsletter, we will spotlight a few of our dedicated staff members:

Reggie Jones

Director, Business Solutions

Madison Potter

Business Solutions Officer

Monica Molina

Business Solutions Officer

Damion Smokes

Loan Operations Director

DURHAM PARTNERSHIP EXIT SURVEY

Read our new report, An Innovative Model for Examining the Financial Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business in Durham, which documents CSBDF’s partnership with the City of Durham to support small businesses recovering from the economic impacts of the COVID‑19 pandemic. While CDFIs are widely recognized for delivering emergency capital to small firms during times of crisis, this report highlights how CDFIs can also serve as effective local partners—providing technical assistance, small grants, and access to capital that help entrepreneurs stabilize and grow. By sharing our approach and outcomes, we contribute practical insights that other CDFIs and local governments can apply when designing small business programs.

Read the Report

BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Kim Cameron

Kim Cameron is an experienced leader in nonprofit consulting, project management, and management consulting as a reviewer at the Office of Grant Review/CDFI Fund. Her work consists of application review, narrative justifications and team leadership. She believes in the power of equitable access to capital and technical assistance as a catalyst for lasting community transformation. Kim recently worked for the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical Real-Estate Foundation.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS