Noel Poyo served as the Executive Director of NALCAB from 2006 to 2021, helping lead the national organization of Latino-led nonprofits that serve communities around the United States. He advocated nationally on behalf of the NALCAB membership as well as for low-income Latino and immigrant communities. Over 12 years, he led the development of NALCAB’s business model, integrating grant-making, lending, technical assistance and policy advocacy.
Graduating from Yale University, Poyo gained experience in residential real estate and neighborhood economic development. From 2015 – 2017, Poyo advised Chair Yellen and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve of the Fed’s Community Advisory Council. He also advised the executive leadership of BBVA Compass Bank, Capital One Bank and JP Morgan Chase as a member of their respective Community Advisory Councils and served on the Board of Directors of the Center for Responsible Lending, the nation’s leading research and advocacy organization focused on combating predatory lending.
Poyo now serves as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community and Economic Development at the Treasury Department.
Interview (2023) Summary
In this interview, Poyo shares about his early years involved in community development projects, including participating in youth development programs and volunteer organizing with local communities growing up. This led to his further interest in labor history, introducing him to understanding and working in affordable housing. After taking a job at a small consulting firm that offered services in public housing, Poyo entered an interesting moment in the affordable housing industry. Through this, he learned the importance of building a private sector business model which encouraged residents should be engaged and supported through periods where their community was changing.
From spending time working directly with the community through public housing, Poyo discusses the development of NALCAB, starting from a program born out of RDFC. He began organizing conferences for NALCAB to encourage many of these Latino-led organizations across the U.S. to convene and share ways in which they could support themselves and their respective communities through economic development and financial resources. Poyo shares of his origins leading the early NALCAB programs to leading NALCAB as executive director when many individuals of the Board of Directors felt the need to further organize the leadership.
Key Terms
organizations, work, board, NALCAB, community, engaged, members, capital, development, leaders, RDFC, focused, Latino, public housing, Texas, conference
Date: June 27, 2023
Interviewers: Research assistant Ashton Jeffers and Dr. Lindsey Wieck
