Tina Poole Johnson

The Deputy Director and Senior Fellow for the Center for Impact Finance at the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey School of Public Policy, Tina is part of a small team connecting capital to initiatives that address economic and social inequality; crafting policies and practices to ensure that low-income, low-wealth, and other underserved people and communities have access to affordable, responsible capital; equipping practitioners with the practical skills, tools, and networks that are needed to succeed in a complex and rapidly changing ecosystem; and conducting research and providing analysis and thought leadership to the field of community development finance.

Tina has over 25 years’ experience in affordable housing and community development, with 15 years in community development finance and 10 years in energy finance. As the Senior Vice President, Network Services, at Opportunity Finance Network, Tina managed training and professional development programs and led OFN’s initiatives on climate solutions and resilience. As the Senior Manager, Curriculum and Training, at NeighborWorks America, Tina managed the training division’s Community Economic Development and Single-Family and Small Business Lending content areas. Tina spent almost 7 years on the commercial loan team at Self Help Credit Union and Ventures Fund, starting as a general real estate and facilities loan officer and becoming the business development lead for Self-Help’s energy sector. Tina has been an independent consultant focusing on community development and energy finance projects for green bank and CDFI clients. Further, Tina has directed affordable housing and neighborhood revitalization projects as a project manager for nonprofit community development corporations. Tina began her career as a lawyer, clerking for a federal judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, practicing real estate and business law, and teaching in an executive program for school administrators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Tina has a JD from the University of Chicago Law School and a BA in History from Yale University.