Speakers

Chief Executive Officer, HOPE  

For more than three decades, Bill Bynum has worked to advance economic opportunity for disenfranchised populations. He began his career in North Carolina, organizing nationally-recognized programs at Self-Help and at the NC Rural Center. In 1994, he moved to Mississippi to launch Enterprise Corporation of the Delta, and in 1995, organized Hope Community Credit Union.   

Today, HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute), provides financial services; aggregates resources; and engages in advocacy to mitigate the extent to which factors such as race, gender, birthplace and wealth limit one’s ability to prosper.  Since 1994, HOPE has generated more than $2.5 billion in financing that has benefitted more than one million people in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. 

President & CEO, Fahe

For thirty years, Jim King has worked to advance opportunity for the people and communities of Appalachia. In 1990 he moved to Appalachia to become one of the first staff members at Fahe. Since becoming President in 2000, Mr. King has led Fahe through a period of unprecedented growth in impact, lending, and territory. He pioneered a collaborative model, bringing scale and performance driven change to nonprofits serving rural and remote communities. He established Fahe’s reputation as a national authority on Appalachia, rural issues, persistent poverty and collaborative impact. Under Mr. King's leadership, Fahe received numerous awards, including the Wachovia Wells Fargo NEXT Award for Opportunity Finance, and has been highlighted in multiple books and publications including “Forces For Good”. Mr. King is a 2006 alumnus of the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government’s Achieving Excellence program and 2014 alumnus of the Harvard Business School’s three-year owner/president management (OPM) program. He holds an MBA degree from Eastern University, and a BA from Bluffton University. Mr. King serves on many national boards of directors and is currently the board chair of the Opportunity Finance Network.