TOMMY ESPINOZA
TOMMY ESPINOZA
PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER
Tommy Espinoza lives in Phoenix, AZ and is President CEO of Espinoza Community Development and President of SJDI ,and the former President CEO and Co-founder of Raza Development Fund (RDF), the largest Latino Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) for over twenty years in the U.S., with half a billion of dollars in total assets under management. True to its founding principles of service to the poor, dignity of the human person and solid business management, RDF’s mission is to invest capital and provide specialty financing solutions that increase opportunities for Latino and poor
families throughout the United States in the areas of Education, Affordable Housing, Healthcare, Social Services, Social Entrepreneurship, and Small Business Initiatives.
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Mr. Espinoza currently serves on the San Juan Diego Institute Board of Directors as Founder & President, Catholic University of America Board of Visitors for the School of Arts and Sciences, National Catholic Education Association Board of Directors, Catholic Association of Latino Leaders National Board, Glacier Bancorp Board of Directors, Foothill Bank Board of Directors and the Greater Phoenix Leadership Board of Directors. Tommy’s various leadership positions included President of the Arizona State Board of Education (1986) and has received numerous recognitions and awards including the St. Katharine Drexel Award for Catholic Philanthropy from Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities (March 2022), Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa from The Catholic University of America and Arizona Capitol Times Leader of the Year – Economy Industry (2021), The Tia Foundation Luminaria Award (2020), Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award and the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Legacy Award (2019), Valley Leadership Man of the Year Award (2014), SRE Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (Mexico) Reconocimiento OHTLI, the highest honor given to a person out of Mexico for distinguished work serving the Mexican community (2005).