CDFI Industry Leaders from New York, Chicago, and Boston join affiliate of BlueHub Capital to Support Nonprofit Lending and Community Development Efforts
BlueHub Loan Fund, the community development financing arm of BlueHub Capital, today announces the hiring of Arunabha Chakravarty, Ena Kumar and Thaïna Serelus to its lending and portfolio management teams.
“As BlueHub Loan Fund continues our work to expand access to financing, affordable housing, healthcare and education in low-income communities, we are thrilled to welcome three outstanding new leaders to our team,” said BlueHub Capital CEO Elyse Cherry. “Arunabha, Ena and Thaïna each bring years of experience promoting inclusive economic development and developing innovative finance solutions across a variety of sectors, and we look forward to working with them to propel the Loan Fund into the future.”
Arunabha Chakravarty is the Loan Fund’s new Senior Vice President of Portfolio Management based in New York City. He will oversee portfolio management, loan operations and servicing, and construction loan management in support of the Loan Fund’s community development work. Arunabha brings over 12 years of experience in community organizing, affordable housing and asset management. He most recently served as the Deputy Director of the Mutual Housing Association of New York where he increased and improved access to affordable housing and commercial space and oversaw pre-development activities, construction and permanent conversions of affordable housing units, with a focus on preservation.
BlueHub Capital is also pleased to welcome Ena Kumar as a Vice President of Commercial Lending. For more than a decade, Ena has worked in community development finance in areas such as business development, underwriting and project management at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Nonprofit Finance Fund, two9three consulting and City National Bank of New Jersey. At BlueHub Loan Fund, Ena will be responsible for managing all aspects of commercial lending services to a diverse portfolio of borrowers nationwide, primarily focusing on developers of affordable housing, operators of K-12 public charter schools and community health centers. Ena is based in Chicago.
Thaïna Serelus joins the Loan Fund as a Portfolio Manager, where she will be responsible for proactively monitoring the financial performance of a portfolio of loans, contributing to continual process improvements, enhancing training tools and streamlining the Portfolio Management function. Thaïna has spent her career advocating for fair and accessible housing in the Boston area. As a Senior Associate for the Housing Partnership Network (HPN), Thaïna managed risk for a $70 million+ loan portfolio to HPN's 100+ member network of real estate developers.
For over 30 years, BlueHub Loan Fund has connected low-income communities with flexible financing to generate equitable and inclusive economic opportunity. BlueHub Loan Fund is a national lender with investments in 22 states and Washington, DC. BlueHub investments have helped to build, preserve, or enhance over 29,000 units of affordable housing; supported community health centers serving more than 197,000 patients annually; expanded childcare facilities, schools and youth programs serving over 65,000 children and youth; and developed over 6.9 million square feet of commercial real estate and community facilities in communities.
About BlueHub Capital
BlueHub Capital is a mission-driven, nonprofit community development finance organization focused on building healthy communities where low-income people live and work. BlueHub uses innovative financial tools to support projects that make communities more vibrant places to live through four distinct programs: BlueHub Loan Fund (community development financing), BlueHub SUN (foreclosure relief), BlueHub Energy (clean energy access) and One Percent for America (citizenship financing).
Since its founding in 1985, BlueHub Capital has lent $2.4 billion and leveraged an additional $12.6 billion for projects that build inclusive prosperity in low-income communities across the country, particularly communities of color, including:
- Affordable housing, school facilities, child and youth development programs, community-based health centers, grocery stores, and community gathering places
- Removing financial barriers to US citizenship
- Clean energy enhancements that expand access to solar and other renewable sources for people with low incomes
- Mortgage lending for families facing foreclosure