Welcome to the 2025 CDBA Peer Forum website! Thank you for attending the largest annual gathering of CDFI, MDI, and other mission-focused bank representatives.
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Advocacy Day and Pre-Conference Cocktail Reception: Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025 Peer Forum Conference: Wednesday, June 4th, 2025 and Thursday, June 5th, 2025 Meeting Location: National Housing Center (NHC) Auditorium at: 1201 15th St NW, 1st floor, Washington, DC 20005 Attire: Business casual for all Peer Forum activities
Hotel Information: The National Housing Center is located in downtown, Washington D.C., within walking distance of a variety of hotels offering rooms at a wide range of price points. We invite you to explore some of the options in our “Hotel Options List.” Please note that CDBA has not arranged a room block at any individual hotels for this event.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding Advocacy Day, please email Joey Zeldin at zeldinj@pcgloanfund.org.
Schedule:
June 3: Advocacy Day & Pre-Conference Cocktail Reception at 5:30 pm ET
June 4: Sessions from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm ET
Cocktail reception at 6:00 pm ET followed by dinner at 7:30 pm ET at Zaytinya
Opportunity Zones were created to drive long-term investment in economically distressed communities—but how do they work, and what role can mission-driven banks play? This session will provide a practical overview of the program’s structure, incentives, and investment potential. Join industry leaders as they break down key concepts, share real-world insights, and explore how banks can align Opportunity Zones with community development goals.
Moderator: Ben Sones (Sones & White) Speakers: Dominik Mjartan (American Pride Bank), Shay Hawkins (America First Policy Institute), Jason Watkins (Novogradac & Company LLP)
A native of Brookhaven, Mississippi, Ben began his career in Nashville, Tennessee. He later moved back home to Mississippi to practice banking law with Watkins, Ludlam, Winter & Stennis (now Jones Walker) before establishing his own consulting and legal practices and ultimately forming... Read More →
SWC is a leading Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) consulting firm for banks. Our clients are community banks that serve historically underserved and economically distressed communities with a variety of unmet financial needs. In order to meet these challenges, we... Read More →
