Pablo DeFilippi, Inclusiv’s SVP of Membership and Network Engagement, received the 2019 President’s Award from the Asociación de Ejecutivos de Cooperativas de Puerto Rico (ASEC), Puerto Rico’s principal cooperative membership organization. DeFilippi was recognized at ASEC’s Annual Convention in Ponce, Puerto Rico on March 16, 2019 for promoting CDFI certification for Puerto Rico’s 114 financial cooperatives.
The President’s Award is the Financial Cooperative Movement's most prestigious honor, celebrating individuals and
“Pablo has become the voice of Puerto Rico’s financial cooperatives in the United States,” said Eddie W. Alicea, President of ASEC’s Board of Directors and CEO of Cooperativa la Sagrada Familia, the first CDFI certified financial cooperative in Puerto Rico. “Pablo’s guidance was instrumental for Sagrada Familia, the first financial cooperative in Puerto Rico to gain CDFI certification, and for four other cooperatives that recently received technical assistance grants from the CDFI Fund. His commitment to help and the guidance he has provided to financial cooperatives in Puerto Rico led ASEC to grant him this important award.”
"I am honored to receive this recognition that validates the important work Inclusiv and a growing coalition of credit unions, industry leaders and partner organizations set out to do in the aftermath of Hurricane María. As much as we have helped, we have also learned from the resiliency, commitment, leadership and determination that make the cooperativas de ahorro y crédito of Puerto Rico such a vital part of the local economy. We thank everyone for welcoming us into their movement and for giving us an opportunity to build a bridge to strengthen the local financial cooperatives so that they can increase their roles as leaders in the rebuilding of a more inclusive Puerto Rico" said DeFilippi.
In May 2018, Inclusiv and ASEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding to engage financial cooperatives and connect them with the CDFI Fund through Inclusiv. This partnership has evolved into the Puerto Rico CDFI Initiative, a program that aims to raise awareness of the traditional role financial cooperatives have played in meeting the needs of communities in Puerto Rico, as well as showcase this network’s untapped potential in playing an effective role in creating more inclusive, resilient, and equitable local economies. By building the capacity of financial cooperatives in Puerto Rico, Inclusiv hopes expand their impact beyond the one million members they already serve, many of whom live in rural communities not served by the traditional banking system.
Inclusiv launched the second phase of the Initiative last month, with the hosting of the 2019 CDFI Convening for Financial Cooperatives in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over 150 leaders from 55 financial cooperatives actively participated in the event, which focused on CDFI certification, technical and financial assistance grants, small and micro loans, and resiliency building.
Miguel Colon Robles, CEO of MacCoop, Jose Julian Ramirez, Executive Director of the ASEC, Eddie W. Alicea, ASEC Board President and CEO of SagradaCoop. Erixson Gomez, CEO of ZenoGandia Coop and Pablo DeFilippi,
Jose Julian Ramirez, Executive Director of the ASEC, Pablo DeFilippi, SVP of Membership and Network Engagement at Inclusiv and Eddie W. Alicea, ASEC Board President and CEO of SagradaCoop.