Mr. James Burnett

Mr. Burnett has worked in the financial services industry for over 36 years. Mr. Burnett is currently the Executive Director of VestedIn, a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and a partner in Black Squirrel Collaborative, a firm focused on identifying solutions for small business owners. After fifteen years as a commercial lender for major banks, Mr. Burnett pivoted to community economic development ("CED") as Executive Director of VestedIn, a twenty-five-year-old CDFI. During his time at VestedIn Mr. Burnett has led a team of lenders in the deployment of over $20 million in loan capital, completed the development of ParkWest Town Center, a 341,000 square foot, $55 million retail center and created WesGold Fellows an annual paid summer internship for sixty high school students. Mr. Burnett is responsible for managing and growing VestedIn's impact on small businesses in Greater Philadelphia. VestedIn's business services include commercial lending and financial education. In 2020 Mr. Burnett and two partners created Black Squirrel Collaborative, a company focused on identifying small business challenges and connecting them to the resources that support their growth. As part of the Black Squirrel leadership, Mr. Burnett has led in the strategic design of the Philly Rise Real Estate Accelerator for small affordable housing developers and the creation of the BizScoreLine a small business assessment tool to help small businesses grow beyond $1 million in revenue. Philly Rise works with experienced small developers by providing networks and education from ULI and $13.5 million in capital from five Philadelphia based CDFIs to develop 60 affordable for sale homes. Finally, Mr. Burnett is a speaker on various community development and lending topics, was a host of "There's Money Out There" radio show and was an adjunct professor at Thomas Jefferson University's School of Sustainable Design from 2009 -2013. Additionally, he is a member of various boards including: ULI Philadelphia DEI Advisor, Previous ULI Philadelphia Small Impact Development Council Co-Chair, Philadelphia Mayor Parker's Business Round-table, PA CDFI Network, The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, and Greater Philadelphia Film Office.