Lionel G. Romain

Lionel G. Romain, CEDAC’s Director of Housing for Central & Western Massachusetts, has more than two decades of experience in commercial banking and community development.  He has a comprehensive knowledge of affordable housing financing and funding programs andmechanisms including rental subsidies, federal and state housing and community development programs, and low-income housing tax credits.  Lionel also has a thorough knowledge of loan underwriting techniques, financial analysis and forecasting, analysis and evaluation of financial statements. Additionally, he has a proven ability to handle complex workout and collection of troubled assets while minimizing losses.

Prior to joining CEDAC in October 2008, Lionel was a Senior Program Officer in the LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) Boston office where he was responsible for all lending activities and initiatives in the Greater Boston area. He has also worked as a commercial lender and process engineer.

Lionel currently sits on the board of the Cooperative Fund of New England (vice president), and previously served as the treasurer.  He has volunteered for several years with Community Action as a VITA tax preparation volunteer. He previously served on the board of a number of organizations, including the CDC of Dukes County (president and treasurer), Valley CDC (president and treasurer), LISC’s Educational Facilities Financing Center (EFFC) Advisory Board, Non-Profit Finance Fund New England Advisory Board, Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter school (Treasurer), and Martha’s Vineyard Boys and Girls Club.

He holds an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis and a Sc. B. in Materials Science & Engineering from Brown University. He has also worked as a commercial lender and process engineer. He is fluent in French, Haitian Creole, and Lingala.