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Josefina Silva joins Boston Local Development Corporation Board of Trustees

Dec 21, 2016

Josefina B. Silva, Vice President at East Boston Savings Bank has joined the Boston Local Development Corporation (BLDC) Board of Trustees.

The BLDC is a private non-profit corporation that utilizes staff of the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) and is overseen by an independent Board of Trustees. The BLDC’s main objective is to make small business loans that benefit Boston’s communities by fostering increased employment opportunities and expansion of business, industry and services for Boston residents and the City.

Silva joins the BLDC Board of Trustees with a successful banking career spanning over 25 years. She has held the position of Vice President and Loan Officer at Bank of America and its predecessors, Fleet and Bank of Boston. Silva was specifically chosen to launch the community development and outreach programs at Bank of Boston and was a consistent top performer, receiving several awards including the Person of the Year Award.

Silva’s career also includes experience in the not-for-profit sector. She has received an award from the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership (MBHP) for her work toward residence empowerment and development of community leaders as an organizer at Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation.

After graduating from Instituto Superior de Economia, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal, Silva relocated to the Boston area and began her professional career in the banking industry.  She received a diploma in Trust Business from the New England School of Banking and a diploma from the Bank of Boston Loan Officer Development Program.

A native of West Africa’s Cape Verde Islands, Silva was a co-founder of Boston’s Cape Verdean Association and the Cape Verdean Professional Network. Silva is also a former Board member and former Board Officer of Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS) and a member of Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation loan program. She is also a co-treasurer at the Boston Temple SDA Church. To complement her many other talents, Silva is fluent in four languages.

About the Boston Local Development Corporation (BLDC)
The BLDC is a private non-profit corporation that utilizes staff of the Boston Planning & Development Agency and is overseen by an independent Board of Trustees. The principal objective of the BLDC is to make small business loans to benefit the community by fostering increased employment opportunities and expansion of business, industry and services for the citizens of the City of Boston. In the last twenty years, the BLDC has provided over $15 million in small business loans. These loans have successfully leveraged over $85 million in other funding. BLDC proceeds may be used to support the working capital needs of a growing small business (e.g., expanded inventory, salaries and increased accounts receivables) and to fund construction of leasehold improvements. Funds may also be used to purchase new business property, machinery and equipment and to fund additional construction for an existing plant. For more information, please contact Bill Nickerson, BLDC General Manager at (617) 918-6262, or [email protected].

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