After 29 years of dedicated service to Florida Community Loan Fund (FCLF), Ignacio Esteban has retired from his role as Chief Executive Officer effective July 31, 2026. FCLF Chief Financial Officer Tammy Thomas will serve as Interim CEO while the Board of Directors conducts a national search for the organization’s next CEO who will lead FCLF’s next chapter of growth and impact.
“I feel extraordinarily fortunate to have helped lead, alongside a remarkable team of colleagues and volunteers, the growth and impact FCLF has achieved over the past three decades,” said Esteban. “Through a relentless pursuit of excellence, a clear commitment to our founders’ vision, and a focus on building an institution designed to serve low-income communities for generations, we have built a strong and enduring organization. I have every confidence that the next CEO will build on this foundation and take the organization even further.”
Esteban joined FCLF as Development Officer in 1997 as its third employee just a few years after it was founded by the vision and persistence of Sister Mary Heyser, RSHM, and others who believed Florida’s low-income communities deserved access to flexible, mission-driven capital for affordable housing, supportive housing, community facilities, health centers, youth services, and more. In 2000, he was named CEO, and in the 26 years Esteban served as CEO, he never lost sight of the vision.
Under Esteban’s leadership, FCLF provided more than $850 million in total financing and leveraged an additional $1.7 billion through partnerships, for more than 500 loans that positively impact over 2.7 million people annually. Beyond these milestones, Esteban led with vision, integrity, discipline, and an unwavering sense of mission that helped shape FCLF’s organizational culture, deepen its purpose, and define what it means to serve communities with both excellence and humility.
“It has been a privilege to serve alongside Ignacio and witness firsthand the depth of his commitment, the steadiness of his leadership, and the respect he has earned throughout the CDFI industry,” said Tina Brown, Chair of FCLF’s Board of Directors. “Thanks to Ignacio’s more than 29 years of direction, an executive team with a combined 50 years of institutional knowledge and leadership expertise, a committed staff, and a highly engaged Board, FCLF’s position is financially and institutionally strong and the future is bright. We wish Ignacio all the best in retirement and are grateful to Tammy for stepping in as Interim CEO as succession plans continue.”
Tammy Thomas joined Florida Community Loan Fund in August 2006 and is part of the executive leadership team alongside Nelson Black, Chief Lending Officer, and Lori Crane, Chief Operating and Strategic Initiatives Officer. As CFO, Thomas is responsible for overall risk and asset management of the organization, accounting practices, financial and compliance reporting, budget preparation, tax and audit functions. She provides fiscal oversight and monitors capital deployment and loan portfolio risk and is instrumental in negotiating investment terms and covenants, administration of closings, and oversight of all investor and CDFI Fund compliance reporting. In her tenure with FCLF, capital under management has grown from $38 million to $620 million. Thomas is also responsible for asset management and loan servicing for FCLF’s $300 million New Markets Tax Credit portfolio.
As Interim CEO, Thomas will work closely with FCLF’s executive leadership team and Board of Directors to ensure a seamless CEO transition while advancing the organization’s mission to maximize opportunities for people and places outside of the economic mainstream. The Board remains committed to a thoughtful CEO search process and is confident in FCLF is position to continue creating economic opportunity and lasting community impact throughout Florida.
