Justine Petersen Credit Building Nation Advisory Board
Justine PETERSEN’s Advisory Board helps ensure that Credit Building Nation stays responsive to the needs of our partners and their clients. The Advisory Board provides invaluable feedback and guidance to ensure Credit Building Nation maintains accountability to low-income individuals and individuals of color who have an opportunity build their credit through a combination of financial counseling/coaching and financial products.
Current Advisory Board Members
Rochelle Bea, Owner Beginning Futures LLC
Rochelle Bea, is the owner of Beginning Futures LLC a comprehensive child learning center which she launched in 2008 after a long career as a social worker focused on children and families. Bea held positions with the State of Missouri in the Child Services Department in the Child Abuse and Neglect Unit, and the Family Support Division, and the Mental Health Department. Rochelle wanted to create a a learning center that built positive family relationships and offered opportunities for parental involvement and male presence. Beginning Futures has evolved into a holistic parent and child center that not only provides high-quality childcare but offers educational opportunities for parents and guardians as well. Bea also serves as Secretary on the Justine PETERSEN Board of Directors.
Sarah Chenven, Chief Strategy and Operations Officer
Sarah joined CBA in October 2011. As Chief Operating & Strategy Officer she focuses on organizational and programmatic development — helping CBA meet its mission by strengthening internal systems and identifying innovations in the field in order to best support CBA’s hundreds of members in order to help their clients gain access to responsible credit- and asset-building financial products and services. Prior to joining CBA Sarah was the Founding Executive Director of Innovative Changes, one of the few CDFI nonprofit loan funds in the country dedicated specifically to consumer lending, financial education, and credit building as a responsible alternative to payday lenders. Prior to Innovative Changes, Sarah was with Mercy Corps where she advised low-income entrepreneurs in the Portland Metropolitan area on the development of their small businesses; she also directed the organization’s Hurricane Katrina recovery program in New Orleans. Sarah has over a decade of experience in nonprofit and public sector organizations whose missions are to help disadvantaged groups create systemic change. She has managed numerous programs with sizeable budgets and staff and has worked in diverse and challenging contexts, including post-war Bosnia. Sarah has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration, a J.D. from the University of Texas, and is a member of the Oregon State Bar.
Nina Hall, Business Speaks, Executive Director
As lead facilitator and Executive Director of Business Speaks, Cerise (Nina) Hall has been exposed to a myriad of youth challenges and has provided her with extensive background needed to meet the unique needs of a variety of youth client support agencies in the local counties within Greater Kansas City. Her specific area of expertise includes youth entrepreneurial skills training, business coaching, curriculum execution, and program design. Ms. Hall has provided professional consulting services assisting over 25 local small business owners with growth strategies for their entrepreneurship venture. Prior to relocating to the Greater Kansas City area she has a longstanding working relationship with Atlanta Public Schools and her business strategy have received accommodation from Governor Nathan Deal of Georgia. Ms. Cerise Hall has sat on various boards as an advocate for the improvement of policy for youth in entrepreneurship, employment and reduction of juvenile recidivism. Ms. Hall has facilitated youth entrepreneurial training in Fulton, DeKalb, Wyandotte and Jackson counties. Business Speaks LLC is confident that Ms. Hall possesses the skill set required for the project of eligible training provider for youth entrepreneurial training for the state of Kansas.
Kristin Schell, Director of Programs, Working Credit
Kristin Schell joined Working Credit in September 2015, bringing more than eight years of experience in assisting individuals, families, and organizations to understand credit building as asset building. She was formerly at Justine PETERSEN, a CDFI and microlender in St Louis, where she ran a national secured credit card and small dollar loan program. Kristin was the lead credit building trainer for the “Asset Building through Credit” Pilot Program—a FIELD project through the Aspen Institute, as well as the Chicago Credit Builder Coalition and LISC’s network of Financial Opportunity Centers—during which she trained more than 100 non-profit organizations. Kristin also provided training for Credit Builders Alliance for their “Rapid Response Program” and their “Credit is an Asset” one-day training program. Kristin was part of the inaugural class of Emerging Leaders in Microenterprise (ELM2), an Aspen Institute FIELD program in 2013 and recently became a board member of Credit Builders Alliance. She has previous work experience with the Credit Builders Alliance and Gateway EITC Community Coalition, where she coordinated a VITA Tax Site. Kristin has her Master of Social Work from Saint Louis University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Kansas.
Strategic Priorities
- Sustain a user-friendly client-focused approach
- Expand partnerships and scale across markets
- Sustain a high-performing partnership strategy
- Explore, innovate, and deploy program services based on needs of clients and partner
