“Shannan Herbert is CEO of the Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif), a nonprofit CDFI advancing inclusive entrepreneurship, equitable economic development, and community wealth building.

Previously, Shannan was Executive Vice President of Inclusive Credit at Stratyfy, a women-led fintech expanding financial inclusion, where she led strategy and program design for CDFIs and community banks. Earlier, she served as Chief Credit Officer of City First Bank, one of the nation’s largest minority-led financial institutions.

With over 25 years in banking and financial services, Shannan has designed teams, processes, and solutions that are strategic, human-centered, and built for impact. Deeply committed to closing capital gaps, she has helped countless small businesses and entrepreneurs access resources to grow and thrive.

A lifelong Washington Metropolitan community member, Shannan serves as Board Chair of Rochdale Capital, an emerging CDFI providing capital to small businesses and cooperatives, and as a board member of the Arc of Prince George’s County and Locus Bank. She is also a member of the Forbes Finance Council, Homeownership of America Advisory Council, Equitable Bank Standards Advisory Board, Julian Bond Institute Advisory Council, TD Bank CIP Community Advisory Council, Loyola’s Simon Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Advisory Council, Black Women Film Network Advisory Board, and the Comptroller of Maryland’s Financial Literacy Advisory Council.

A sought-after industry leader, Shannan contributes to panels, forums, and conferences. Her insights have appeared in Forbes, Next City, Consumer Reports, The Financial Revolutionist, The Washington Business Journal, and The Washington Informer, and she was featured in the book The Banks We Deserve: Reclaiming Community Banking for a Just Economy. She received the 2023 BAI Global Innovation Rising Star Award and was named a 2025 Diversity Champion by the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition; in 2026, she received the Diversity in Business Award from the Washington Business Journal.

Shannan is a graduate of Howard University and holds an MBA from Loyola University Maryland.”