Brandi Colander is an attorney and sustainability practitioner with public policy expertise who has testified before Congress and state governing bodies. Her work across sectors including advocacy, public service and corporate have allowed her to cultivate strategic partnerships with key stakeholders. As the Chief Sustainability Officer at WestRock Company she led the development and execution of a strategy to deliver innovative and sustainable solutions to customers around the world including the commitment of a science based target (SBT). Prior to joining WestRock she was a Principal at The Raben Group, supporting clients by advancing their policy and strategy needs, as well as Head of External Relations with Charter Communications creating diverse partnerships and philanthropic investments. Her public service includes a Presidential appointment as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the U.S. Department of the Interior advancing policy and regulations for the nation’s four energy development bureaus as well as Deputy General Counsel for the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Colander serves as Yale School of the Environment Leadership Council member, and Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy board. She earned her Master of Environmental Management at Yale University, J.D. from Vermont Law School, and Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning from University of Virginia. Colander is a licensed attorney and member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She resides in Washington, DC with her family and affectionate but obstinate dog.
Gary Decker serves as the Chief Operating Officer at DC Green Bank. Gary has spent fifteen years working on public policy at the national and international levels to improve lives in the United States and around the world. He has worked on a range of issues including renewable energy, sustainable development and climate change, the protection and expansion of voting rights, health care, and building a more equitable and inclusive economy.
Gary holds an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Goucher College.
Greg is the Chief Financial Officer at DC Green Bank. He is dedicated to aligning the organization’s vision with practical financial strategies that will promote sustainability, clean economy, and inclusive prosperity for all of DC’s stakeholders. Greg’s career has been defined by his expertise in financial operational excellence, business strategy, governmental compliance, and asset management. Most recently, Greg served as the Chief Financial Officer for the NoMa BID, a community development organization in the NoMa DC neighborhood, and in the prior decade, Greg served as Director of Finance for Motley Fool Asset Management.
Greg holds a B.S. in finance from American University and an M.S. in accounting and finance from the University of Maryland.
Dionne Joemah serves as general counsel where she oversees the legal department. Ms. Joemah has over 20 years of legal experience in financial services, affordable housing and real estate, working in both the public and private sectors, handling complex real estate transactions. Most recently, Ms. Joemah served as deputy general counsel with the District of Columbia Department of Housing and Community Development.
Ms. Joemah is a graduate of Howard University and holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from North Carolina A&T State University.
Sri Sekar is DC Green Bank’s Chief Investment Officer. He joined DC Green Bank after a more than six-year tenure at Deloitte where his work centered on investment in clean energy technology and grid modernization across five continents. His portfolio of clients and counterparts at the firm included major international development organizations such as the World Bank Group and the U.S. Agency for International Development, as well as domestic federal agencies, municipal governments, major multinational companies, and renewable energy developers and financiers. Prior to his work at Deloitte, Sri managed utility scale onshore wind transactions for GE’s Renewable Energy business, and was selected for the company’s inaugural class of its flagship executive leadership program. Sri started his career working for the DC Mayor’s Office, where he drove policy and legislation that supported the Mayor’s economic development agenda, which spanned affordable housing, commercial and retail development, and workforce development.
He holds an M.B.A. from Georgetown University, a J.D. from George Washington University, and a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University.
Cecilia is a seasoned credit professional with more than 25 years of experience in credit administration, underwriting, risk assessment, and portfolio management. Cecilia began her career in corporate banking and worked at several large regional banks, including Wells Fargo. She later transitioned to the impact investment arena and was most recently the Chief Credit Officer for a community development financial institution. Cecilia is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Doug focuses on deploying and raising capital that will promote a sustainable, clean, and inclusive economy for all of DC. Most recently, Doug deployed capital for the flagship impact private equity fund at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and in the prior decade, Doug served as Senior Vice President and Executive Director at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). To date, he has structured and closed more than $7 billion in debt and equity real estate transactions across the U.S. for all asset classes.
Doug holds an B.A. from Saint Michaels University and an M.S. in real estate finance from New York University.
Ronald Hobson serves as the DC PACE Program Director at DC Green Bank. Ronald is a highly skilled, veteran financial services provider and leader in the Washington DC market who has earned the solid reputation of providing access to capital and financial advisory assistance to some of the most successful and highly regarded government contractors, professional services firms and nonprofit organizations. Ronald has worked at a number of regional banks in the DC markets, most recently with Customers Bank where he worked as a Senior Vice President.
Ronald graduated with cum laude honors from Howard University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance and is a Betta Gamma Sigma inductee (an academic honor society for top business students). He is also a distinguished veteran, having served in the US Army, Office of Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence at the Pentagon. He is the proud father of three whose children have also excelled in material science engineering/physics, medical school, and mathematics.
Ryan brings over 15 years of experience leading climate finance and decarbonization programs. Prior to joining DC Green Bank, Ryan was Senior Director, Climate Impact & Resilience at Freddie Mac, where he developed the multifamily division’s climate financing loan product and oversaw its multiyear climate impact strategy. As Managing Director of Sustainability at National Housing Trust, Ryan oversaw a nationally recognized clean energy financing program tailored to support borrowers of multifamily affordable housing.
Derrick Holloway is an Investment Manager at DC Green Bank, where he works on origination, structuring, and executing financial products. Derrick has a corporate finance and commercial real estate background that spans from marketing, leasing, asset management, underwriting, and development. He joins DC Green Bank after spending 5 years in private and non-profit commercial lending, where he underwrote over $100 million in construction loans related to charter school development. His experience in corporate finance includes forecasting commercial projects, $15 million and up bridge loans, and $25 million and up construction loans. He has also helped manage a $100 million “School of Hope” charter school development fund with the purpose of opening 10 charter schools in 3 years.
Derrick attended Temple University’s Fox School of Business and double majored in Finance and Real Estate. He is also a licensed real estate agent in California and is in the process of obtaining his General Contractors license in the state of Maryland.
Vanessa Angeles serves as the Senior Accounting and Finance Manager at DC Green Bank, where she supports the CFO, manages the accounting and finance operations of the organization and oversees the financial compliance requirements. She is a skillful accounting professional with over seven years of experience in: financial planning and analysis, system implementation, general ledger management, financial performance reports, GAAP, sustainable finance and accounting, internal audits, and process efficiencies. Before joining the team, Vanessa worked as a consultant for DC Green Bank providing accounting services. Her prior experience includes consulting at a DC accounting firm, specializing in government accounting support services and as a team lead for consolidated accounting services with an international organization.
Vanessa graduated from Menlo College and holds a B.S. in Business Management with a concentration in Accounting. In the future, she plans to continue working towards obtaining a CPA license and utilizing her knowledge to help the organization grow.
Isabel Varnado provides compliance leadership, tools, and operational solutions that bridge gaps between legal services and regulatory compliance best practices and standards setting.
With varied professional experiences, Isabel brings an inclusive, results-driven approach in having worked with entities such as World Bank, Graham Holdings Company, Save the Children, and Universal Service Administration Company.
She holds a master’s degree in organizational strategic management from Norwich University and her juris doctorate from Georgetown Law Center. Additionally, she is certified as a Project Management Professional, Continuity of Operations Practitioner, and Leadership Professional in Ethics and Compliance.
Gabriela Kluzinski is DC Green Bank’s Investment Manager, where she is responsible for business origination, deal structuring and execution, and portfolio management. Her expertise is in evaluating stormwater retention, green building, solar, and clean transportation investments as well as product development in sustainable affordable housing.
Gabriela’s background is in impact investing, asset management, cleantech evaluation, and endowment fundraising. Prior to her current role, she was on Cambridge Associate’s Sustainable and Impact Investing team where she assessed the assets of non-profit institutions and university endowments ranging from $200 Million to $5 Billion Assets Under Management for their sustainability and diversity metrics and proposed more mission-aligned investments.
Gabriela received her B.B.A from the University of Notre Dame in Finance. She has been awarded Galileo Master Certifications in Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energy Market Trends & Finance.
Dan Lebiednik is the Communications and Outreach Manager at DC Green Bank. He has more than 10 years of strategic communications experience, working with think tanks, government agencies, advocacy organizations, and trade associations to help connect to the public. Most recently, he helped the U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service share its work supporting communities affected by hate crimes. Before starting his career in communications, Dan served in the Peace Corps in the Federated States of Micronesia. Dan has a B.A. in journalism and Latin American studies from New York University.
Gaby Argoti is the Commercial Portfolio Manager for DC Green Bank, where she is responsible for managing collection and loan servicing functions in connection with DC Green Bank’s commercial loan portfolio. With over 15 years of experience, Gaby specializes in commercial loans, residential loans, and banking services. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Gaby was appointed as a Commissioner for the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Hispanic Affairs in 2017, a position she continues to hold. Gaby prides herself in her dedication, professionalism, and bilingual skills in Spanish that have helped her grow in her career.
Gaby attended the Universities at Shady Grove where she studied Business Administration and Montgomery College with a focus on International Business. Most recently, she completed a Global Business certificate program at Harvard Business School and has plans to further her education to be a continued asset to the community.
Natrebo Douglas is the PACE Program Coordinator for DC Green Bank. Natrebo has a commercial real estate, corporate finance, and commercial card background. His professional career has consisted of creating and implementing process improvements and contributions to organizational growth. He has been trained in Lean Six Sigma, Six Sigma and Agile principles to help optimize and scale for future growth. He is process driven with a long-standing record of innovation and creativity.
He values partnerships within the community. He has partnered with Virginia Commonwealth University as a mentor in the School of Business. He has worked with Junior Achievement as a mentor socializing financial education to students and family members. He has been an active contributor to the Boys and Girls club and Ameri-Corps. His favorite pass-time is soccer where he has coached different levels and ages through his local soccer community.
He graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. My educational career and life experiences developed my ability to be empathic to others and is a key driver to my continued Creative Confidence.
Gavrielle has a Master of Science in accounting from Prairie View A&M University and also a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from the University of Houston. She has over 4 years’ experience in public accounting, banking, oil and gas, waste management, and healthcare industries. In her free time, she loves cooking, music, dancing, hiking, and action movies.
Natalie Smalls serves as the Executive Assistant to the CEO at DC Green Bank. A native of Washington, DC, she boasts a robust academic background with a bachelor’s degree in political science and a paralegal studies degree. For over seven years, she has proven herself as a dedicated and efficient executive assistant, leveraging her expertise to support high-level administrative functions seamlessly. Her unwavering passion for politics, community service, and the legal field is evident in her extensive volunteer work, where she tirelessly addresses socioeconomic issues to drive positive change.
Beyond her professional and volunteer commitments, Natalie is an avid reader and writer, often exploring contemporary political thought and social justice reforms. She enjoys traveling to experience diverse cultures and gain global perspectives, which enrich her approach to problem-solving and advocacy.