MicroCredit Enterprises is a non-profit organization based in Sacramento, California, that leverages private capital to promote micro-enterprises throughout the developing world by issuing loans and guarantees to creditworthy microfinance institutions (MFIs). Founded in 2005, MicroCredit Enterprises’ loan portfolio includes 17 MFIs in 12 countries, impacting 235,000 poor people. The balance of total loans issued is USD 9.3 million and MicroCredit Enterprises’ current loan default rate is 0.00%. The organization has a low operating expense, with approximately 3% of its loan portfolio or USD 300,000 allocated to budgeted expenditures. The low operating expense is possible since MicroCredit Enterprises’ senior management team, with the exception of the Senior Vice President for Portfolio Management, serve the organization on a pro bono basis.
MicroCredit Enterprises’ senior management team consists of the following individuals.
Jonathan C. Lewis, MicroCredit Enterprises’ Chief Executive Officer/Founder and Chairperson, has been President of the Academy for International Health Studies and the International Summit on the Private Health Sector, both of which he founded. He has chaired overseas health system trade/study missions to over 20 countries. Now retired, Mr. Lewis devotes full-time to MicroCredit Enterprises and other public interest activities. Mr. Lewis has worked as the Chief Budget Advisor for the President of the California State Senate, Head of Governmental Relations for the California Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chief of Staff for a California State Senator, CEO of the California Association of Health Maintenance Organizations, Chief of Staff for three blue-ribbon, state government policy study commissions and founded a public policy consulting firm, real estate investment company, public interest citizens’ group (tax reform) and contemporary art gallery.
Michael H. Katcher, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has held a variety of senior executive positions during his 30 year career in healthcare including President of Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of the Northwest, Inc., Senior Vice President of Kaiser’s National Medicare Program, and Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Insurance Services for Kaiser’s Southern California Division. Since retiring from Kaiser, Dr. Katcher has worked with numerous healthcare start-up companies as a consultant or Board member. Prior to his healthcare career, he was a researcher in biomedical engineering and sensory physiology at the Stanford Research Institute. Dr. Katcher holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in experimental and biological psychology and is also a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program.
Kyle R. Salyer, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management, was a MicroCredit Enterprises Management Fellow in 2004 in which he co-researched and wrote an analysis of international lending to microfinance institutions and microfinance capital market trends. Prior to his internship with MicroCredit Enterprises, he was a regional manager with the Mexican Association of Rural and Urban Transformation, and developed and managed their Chiapas-based microfinance institution. Mr. Sayler was responsible for creating savings and loan products, identifying new markets, managing the loan portfolio, and developing a strategic plan for program growth. Mr. Salyer earn his Masters of Business Administration from the University of California at Davis Graduate School of Management and his B.A. from UCLA in International Economics and International Development Studies. Mr. Salyer is also fluent in Spanish.
Dawnie M. Andrak, Senior Vice President, Development, is a Founding Partner and currently Chief Operating Officer of Capitol WebWorks, LLC, a Sacramento, California-based company, which develops online database applications for political and legislative clients. She has served as Development Director for Californians Against Waste and helped found the California Voter Foundation. Ms. Andrak holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine. She also serves as the CEO of the MicroCredit Enterprises Fund, Inc. which operates the Endowment for Microfinance Sustainability.
Gregg Schoen, Managing Co-Chair, Council of Guarantors, has been the Private Client Group Director for Bear Stearns, Alex. Brown and Sons and Cowen and Company. Mr. Schoen holds a law degree from the University of Washington and is a Board Member for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.
William G. Way, Managing Co-Chair, Council of Guarantors, is Office Managing Partner, Accenture Phoenix, Arizona office. Mr. Way’s consulting works has included overseas residencies in Japan and England. He holds a Bsc in Economics from Whitman College and an Msc in Economics from the London School of Economics. Mr. Way is a Board Member of the Phoenix Art Museum and the Asian Arts Council, Whitman College Board of Overseers and member of the National Advisory Committee of the Marriott School of Business.
Additionally, the following individuals serve on MicroCredit Enterprises’ Board of Directors. All board members serve on a pro bono basis.
Daniel Brunner, an attorney and member of the California Bar, has more than 30 years experience in health care law, policy and corporate management in both the public and private sectors. Mr. Brunner served as General Counsel for the California Governor’s Office of Special Health Care Negotiations and was Chief of Staff for California Assemblyman Howard Berman. In addition, he was Director of the Legislative Office at the Western Center on Law and Poverty, General Counsel and Deputy Director of Legal Affairs in the State Department of Benefit Payments and was on the faculty at UCLA and USC law schools. Mr. Brunner earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting at UCLA and obtained his law degree from California Western University.
Christopher Dunford, current President of Freedom from Hunger, is an International speaker and writer on village banking, integration of microfinance with health education, and impact evaluation and poverty measurement. Dr. Dunford has published with The World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, USAID, CGAP, Global Health Council, Microcredit Summit, Small Enterprise Education and Promotion Network, Journal of Microfinance, Small Enterprise Development and several U.S. universities. Dr. Dunford has 30+ years of experience in development planning and management in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the United States. Dr. Dunford holds a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Arizona and a Bachelor’s degree in Biological Science from Cornell University.
Janet A. McKinley is Chair of Oxfam America, and also serves on the boards of The Asia Foundation and Smith College. In 2004, Ms. McKinley retired from Capital Research and Management Company (CRMC). During her career at CRMC, Ms. McKinley served as one of the company’s directors of research, responsible for building the research team to support a new global investment unit. Prior to joining Capital in 1982, Ms. McKinley was Manager of Investor Relations and a financial analyst for International Paper Company. Ms. McKinley graduated summa cum laude from Smith College (Phi Beta Kappa) and attended the University of Krakow, Poland, as a Fulbright Scholar. Ms. McKinley also attended the New York University Graduate School of Business.
Ed Michael Reggie is an entrepreneur and healthcare investor. Mr. Reggie founded American LIFECARE, a multi-state managed care organization, and served as its Chairman of the Board until August 2004, at which time it was sold to Private Healthcare Systems of Waltham, MA. Previously, Mr. Reggie served as the Chief Executive Officer of Regent Health System, a rural hospital chain. Mr. Reggie serves as Treasurer of Freedom from Hunger and holds a faculty appointment at Tulane University in the Department of Health Systems Management. Mr. Reggie received his Master of Business Administration degree from the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University.
Barry M. Smith is the founder, Chairman and CEO of Bon Travay, S.A., a charitable organization dedicated to healthcare and educational efforts in developing countries. Mr. Smith is a founding board member of MicroCredit Enterprises and also participates on the Ambassador’s Council of Freedom from Hunger. Mr. Smith is Chairman of the VistaCare Foundation, Bon Travay Development, Inc., and Eatza Pizza, Inc., and serves on the board of directors of Magellan Health Services and Inpatient Consultants, Inc.
Roger Widmann was a Principal of the investment banking firm of Tanner & Co. Mr. Widmann was also a senior managing director of Chemical Securities, Inc., a subsidiary of Chemical Banking Corporation. Mr. Widmann is a director of Paxar Corporation and is also a senior moderator of the Executive Seminar in the Humanities at The Aspen Institute. He is a board member of the March of Dimes of Greater New York and of Oxfam America. Mr. Widmann received an A.B. from Brown University and a J.D. from Columbia University.
Susan Cornell Wilkes is Founder and President of Adventures in Giving, LLC. Ms. Wilkes has worked in a broad range of philanthropic, international development, education, exchange and business activities in 30 countries. Ms. Wilkes and her husband, Jim Klobuchar, co-authored, “The Miracles of Barefoot Capitalism,” a story of their experience visiting microcredit organizations, clients and programs on three continents. Ms. Wilkes received her education at Harvard and launched her career in the independent sector as a co-founder of Up With People Inc.
Additional Resources:
MicroCredit Enterprises: http://www.mcenterprises.org/
Similar Posts:
- MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Michael Apel Named CEO of DAI’s MicroVest Asset Management
- MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Gendered Investment Differences Among Smallholder Farmers: Evidence from a Microcredit Programme in Western Kenya,” by Keiji Jindo et al
- MICROFINANCE EVENT: International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC); September 6-9, 2023; Guimarães, Portugal
- MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: David Grimaud Named CEO of Palladium Group’s Bamboo Capital Partners
- MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Impact of Microcredit on Household Consumption and Assets in Nepal;” by Shalik Ram Pokhrel
