Marla Bilonick: Building Community Wealth One Story & Storefront at a Time

Jan 18

Kristine Michie - Playfull Podcast Interview - Marla Bilonick

Marla Bilonick: Building Community Wealth One Story & Storefront at a Time

In this episode: Meet Marla Bilonick, CEO of the National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB)

Listen in as Kristine and Marla discuss:

What it means to be a community asset builder
How to build, hold, and pass-along generational wealth
That there’s a story behind every storefront
Relearning how to play like a child
Building trust through activities
Supporting BIPOC small business owners

Key Takeaways:

There is power in finding humor and play in stressful situations where tensions are high.
Try this: “play Remember That Time…” right when you’re in the middle of something hard, reminding yourself that today’s challenges become tomorrow’s memories; this brings perspective and reduces stress
Communication can flourish when you’re engaged in an activity together but separately; this is often where relationships are built
Play can be as simple as a walk outside; connecting with nature or going for a walk is a great way to play and rest
There are no coincidences for changemakers

"The more each of us, as individuals, plug in, in big and small ways, the world will be so much better for it." — Marla Bilonick

About Marla Bilonick: Marla Bilonick is CEO of the National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB). She is a sought-after leader in the arenas of economic and community development with 20+ years of expertise in small business development, community-based financial services and international aid with an emphasis on Latin America and the US Latino population.

Marla previously worked for DAI managing multimillion-dollar international development contract opportunities funded by USAID and other donor agencies in countries such as Bolivia, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua, and her native Panama. She also served as the Director of Seedco’s Upper Manhattan Business Solutions Center in Harlem – an initiative in collaboration with the New York City government to provide consulting and access to financing to local businesses. In addition, she helped Seedco develop and implement its long-term small business services approach after they were chosen to participate in the City’s September 11, 2001 small business crisis response.

Marla is a board member of the Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), the National Housing Trust, Self Help Ventures Fund, and is a founding member of the National League of Minority Voters’ board. She is a former Aspen Institute Emerging Leaders in Microbusiness-ELM2 Fellow and a graduate of the Citi/OFN Leadership Program for Opportunity Finance at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Marla serves on Capital One Bank’s and PNC Bank’s respective Community Advisory Councils and was an advisor to Wells Fargo’s regional “Where We Live” initiative. She was named a Community Champion for the Washington, DC metropolitan area by Capital One Bank in 2015.

Book/Podcast Recommendations from Marla