CHAIR

Cindy is President and CEO of Community Housing Capital, serving nationwide in her role. She is the first Board Chair of Thrive and has over 30 years of experience in CDFI operations, capital aggregation, and credit risk management.

VICE CHAIR

Aimee is Executive Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services at Inspiritus. She is from a refugee background and thus brings invaluable lived experience to Thrive. She is experienced in refugee nonprofit leadership, client services, budget management, and program design.

TREASURER AND FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR

Ed is a retired information technology executive and current Thrive Board member, serving as Treasurer. He has over 40 years experience in technology, management, business and development, as well as nonprofit board leadership.

LOAN COMMITTEE CHAIR

Phillip is Director of the HIAS Economic Advancement Fund, an emerging CDFI serving refugees in multiple states. During the past six years, he has raised capital and operating support, overseen portfolio performance and compliance, developed new loan products, and expanded to new geographic markets.

CORPORATE OFFICER

John is President and CEO of Inspiritus, the nonprofit parent organization of Thrive. He is the current Board Chair of the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center and is experienced in nonprofit management, fundraising, strategic planning, and community outreach.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

John joined Thrive in Feb. 2024 as its first executive director. He leads Thrive’s strategic direction and builds the capacity of the organization to ensure it provides quality services to refugees. John has 28 years’ experience creating pathways for refugees to thrive and is a recognized expert in refugee resettlement and financial empowerment. He previously served in leadership roles with The Welcome Co-op, a cooperative of the Atlanta-area resettlement agencies and with World Relief where he served as Programs Director.

ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM MANAGER

Spencer leads Inspiritus’ economic empowerment programs and provides invaluable loan operations and servicing support to Thrive. He has been part of the Inspiritus Economic Empowerment team for five years, including three years as manager. Spencer helped design, implement, and oversee the microenterprise development program that has now become Thrive.

MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

Hang Lian designs and implements client recruitment and intake processes, training curricula, coaching, and technical assistance to ensure business success for the clients he serves. Lian is a pastor, community leader, and refugee advocate for Atlanta’s Burmese community. Born in Burma, Lian speaks five southeast Asian languages. Lian spent nine years as a volunteer counselor and fund-raiser for Zo refugees in Malaysia and has three years of housing counseling experience at Pan Asian Community Services in Atlanta.

LOAN AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SPECIALIST

David became the Loan and Technical Assistance Specialist for Thrive in March 2025 and brings over 25 years of experience in refugee resettlement, community programs, and immigrant adult education on topics like cultural adjustment, finances, and job skills. He holds a Master of Arts in Anthropology from McGill University with a focus on community development. His client-facing roles at World Relief and Inspiritus have allowed him to develop enduring connections to many of the refugee and immigrant communities and churches of Clarkston, GA where he lives. Over the years, he has provided both contracted and volunteer assistance with grant writing, copy editing, applications, and more to a number of ethnic associations and refugee-owned businesses in the area.