About Us

Karim is the President of BDC Community Capital Corp. Karim’s role includes strategic development and oversight of both internal CDFI operations and new business development throughout the targeted areas.

He was previously the Regional President New England South for Santander Bank. Prior to joining Santander, Karim was the President and CEO for the New England Business Association.  He also has held leadership roles at several commercial banks such as Citizens Bank, Capital One Bank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo.  During his tenure at Citizens Bank, Karim served as the EVP- Consumer Banking Director for New England at Citizens Bank.  In this role he held responsibility for 205 retail branches, small business banking, and consumer lending activities throughout the region.

E: khill@bdcnewengland.com

Cell: (925) 683-7751

Since 2016, Nyia L. Noel has been the Medical Director of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Boston Medical Center. Her clinical and research interests include fibroids, endometriosis, disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality, and health care access and systems delivery.

Her philanthropic efforts involve focusing on the wellbeing of those in her own community and the women she serves at BMC. Through her work with The Prenatal Aspirin Project, she hopes to decrease black maternal morbidity and mortality by decreasing the occurrence of pre-eclampsia, preterm birth and growth restriction in high risk women.

Lynn Harwell is Vice President for Administration overseeing the strategic development, integration and execution of the Barr Foundation’s operations and administrative resources to accomplish our mission. This includes organizational and talent development, grants management, finance/accounting, technology, and facilities. Leveraging her experiences across public, nonprofit and private sectors, Lynn provides strategic leadership on a range of operational issues that cut across the Foundation. Lynn finds deep satisfaction helping colleagues be their best selves at work, and discover what sparks joy in their professional lives—and then building this to form and sustain cross-functional, diverse and inclusive, interdependent, and productive teams. She also works to foster open, ongoing dialogue and high-quality connections across the organization in support of a shared vision, and strong development culture.

Prior to joining Barr’s leadership team, Lynn served in executive and administrative leadership roles in sectors including biomedical research, technology, and media and entertainment. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Lynn has also lived on the West Coast, though she has spent most of her adult life in New England (and will likely never get used to the weather). Starting her career as a tax CPA, Lynn received her JD from Harvard Law School jointly with an MBA from Harvard Business School, and has a BS in Business Administration from Boston University.

Keon is a Managing Director in Cambridge Associates’ Boston office. He works with various universities, foundations, hospitals, cultural institutions, independent schools, and private clients across the world, ranging in size from $50 million to over $10 billion. Keon specializes in constructing and overseeing portfolios for his clients. Prior to joining Cambridge Associates in 2005, Keon worked in equity risk management products with UBS AG in Hong Kong while attending business school. Prior to this, he worked as an Investment Manager for private clients at JP Morgan Private Bank, administering investment portfolios for private clients of the southeast regional office in Atlanta. Prior to this, Keon was an Associate in the equity derivatives group at JPMorgan & Co. in New York.

In 1999 Stacey was recruited by a consortium of property and casualty insurance companies to organize and manage PCI. Her primary responsibilities include functioning as CFO, COO and Senior Lender. Stacey joined the Initiative after four years at MassBusiness Development Corporation, where she created and managed a subsidiary that specialized in loans to minority and women-owned businesses, community development groups and not-for-profit organizations. Prior to MassBusiness Stacey spent sixteen years working in various lending and management positions at the Bank of New England, BayBank and BankBoston. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and a native Bostonian.

Ken currently serves as the Vice Chairman of BDC Capital.  From 1984 -2018, Ken served as the President & CEO of BDC Capital.  During his tenure the company has grown from a small, single state lending operation to a six state, diversified loan and investment company with offices throughout New England. BDC Capital now manages several mezzanine investment funds, to compliment a broad array of small business loan programs that they have used to serve local area businesses for nearly 70 years. BDC Capital now has more than $2 billion in loans and investments to hundreds of companies throughout New England.

Ken is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts and Northeastern University and he has won numerous accolades over the years, including being named one of Boston’s Ten Outstanding Young Leaders. BDC Capital has been named the top performing Business Development Corporation in the country and is noted for its innovative programs for small business lending and investing.

Paul is President & CEO of BDC Capital and New England Certified Development Corp., the company’s SBA 504 lending affiliate.  Mr. Flynn’s role includes strategic development and oversight of both internal operations and new business development throughout New England. His experience includes over 30 years of lending to the New England business community.

Prior to joining BDC Capital, Mr. Flynn served as Regional Leader and SVP ABL Dept. Manager & Commercial Lending at Berkshire Bank, ABL Department Manager of TD Bank, and Senior Vice President of Banknorth.  Mr. Flynn began his banking career at BayBank in 1986. He received his undergraduate degree from Fairfield University and an MBA from Babson College.

Mr. Flynn is a member of the Secured Finance Network (SFNET) and the Association for Corporate Growth, and is a past President of the Turnaround Management Association’s Northeast Chapter.

Joe is a Senior Vice President at BDC Capital. At BDC, he oversees the Capital Access Program (CAP) and the Community Investment Loans. Joe is also portfolio manager for SBA 504 loans portfolio through our affiliate CDC New England. Joe began his banking career at Mutual Bank for Savings in 1981. After leaving Mutual Bank, he joined Shawmut Bank, N.A., in 1987 and subsequently became a Branch Manager and Business Retirement Plan Specialist. He then served from 1992 to 1997 as a Business Development Officer at BankBoston before joining BDC Capital. Joe was educated in London, England at the Hackney College of Further Education.

T: 781-928-1105

E: jogarro@bdcnewengland.com