D2D Fund

• Sarika Abbi, Savings Initiatives Specialist
• Kristy Bowden, Financial Entertainment Specialist
• Timothy Flacke, Executive Director
• Nick Maynard, Director of Innovation
• Preeti Mehta, Director of Evaluation
• Joanna Smith-Ramani, Director of Strategy

Biographies

Sarkia Abbi, Savings Initiatives Specialist

Sarika Abbi is the Savings Initiatives Specialist at D2D Fund.  She works on initiatives to design and pilot new saving products as well as new ways to market and distribute these products to underserved consumers. Prior to joining D2D her work focused on improving financial access for low income households in developing countries. While at Ideas42, she worked with researchers and practitioners in development finance to design financial products and managed a research center and team internationally to pilot test and evaluate the designs. Before entering the financial inclusion field, Sarika worked in the private sector consulting on issues of executive compensation. She holds a Masters in Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelors of Economics from the University of California, Berkeley

Kristy Bowden, Financial Entertainment Specialist

Kristy Bowden is the Financial Entertainment Specialist at D2D fund. Kristy works in conjunction with game and new media developers to create and distribute financial entertainment products to the public, as well as nonprofit organiations, financial institutions, employers, and community colleges. Previously, Kristy was the Director of the Digital Media Council in Austin, Texas, establishing ties between education, community, and digital media leaders to promote workforce development and education initiatives in Central Texas. In addition to her work in the nonprofit space, Kristy spent 4 years as an Associate Producer and PR Manager for Roxor Games, an independent game development studio in Austin. Kristy holds both a Masters and a Bachelors degree in Literature from the University of Texas (Permian Basin).

Timothy Flacke, Executive Director

Timothy Flacke is the Executive Director of D2D Fund, serves on the organization's Board of Directors and helped launch D2D in 2001. Tim has seventeen years experience helping lower-income people focus on saving, in both the private and non-profit sectors. He has worked as an independent consultant, author and grant writer in the field of asset development. In this capacity he co-authored The Individual Development Account (IDA) Program Design Handbook, successful grant applications under the federal Assets for Independence Act (AFIA) program, and Dollar $ense, a financial education curriculum for IDA programs. Tim was a VISTA volunteer at Central Vermont Community Action Council during the start-up phase of that organization's American Dream Demonstration IDA Program, Tangible Assets. Before entering the asset development field, Tim managed employee benefits, risk management and stock option plans for Filene's Basement, Inc., a chain of off-price apparel retail stores with 5,000 employees in 13 states. He holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Boston College.

Nick Maynard, Director of Innovation

Nick Maynard is the Director of Innovation for D2D Fund. Since joining D2D, Nick has led initiatives improving marketing to LMI families, piloting prize-based savings in the credit union industry, and offering US Savings Bonds at tax time. In addition, he directs the financial literacy video game initiative. Prior to joining D2D, Nick spent almost a decade providing customer, market, and operational strategy consulting to Fortune 1000 executives while at Deloitte Consulting and Braxton Associates. Nick holds both a Masters in Business Administration and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University. He also holds a Bachelors of Engineering and Operations Research from Princeton University.

Preeti Mehta, Director of Evaluation

Preeti Mehta is Director of Evaluation for D2D Fund. Preeti currently leads the Savings Bond work at D2D and created the original design for the Prize-Linked savings project "Save to Win" in Michigan. Prior to joining D2D, Preeti was a management consultant in the private and nonprofit sectors, first with PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Consulting Services and then as a self-employed consultant, specializing in business process design, operations improvement and strategic planning. Her private sector clients included a range of Fortune 500 companies in several industries. In her capacity as consultant to the nonprofit sector, Preeti served as the Director of Economic Development for a local community-based organization helping launch and run asset-building programs. She also served on the Board of a Low Income, Community Development Credit Union and on the Boston EITC Coalition's Steering Comittee. Prior to her consulting career, Preeti worked at GTE Laboratories in Waltham, MA. She holds a Master of Science in Mathematics from Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, VA, and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from St. Xavier’s college, Mumbai, India.

Joanna Smith-Ramani, Director of Strategy

Joanna Smith-Ramani is the Director of Strategy for D2D Fund, working on the expansion of successful innovation pilots.  Prior to joining the D2D, Joanna was the Director of the Baltimore CASH (Creating Assets, Savings and Hope) Campaign, an asset building, tax preparation, and EITC coalition in Baltimore, MD.  Joanna has over 12 years working in community development, community development finance, and personal finance/asset development.  She has worked for Self Help Credit Union, ShoreBank, several Habitat for Humanity affiliates and the Policy Development and Research Division of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Joanna holds a master's in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.