DURHAM, N.C. — Today, the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) announced that Center for Community Self-Help Executive Vice President Crystal German will become president of CRL’s Julian Bond Institute (JBI), starting August 1. Alongside this new role at JBI, Ms. German will continue as EVP at Self-Help, where she leads its mortgage credit, community engagement, marketing and communications, and fundraising teams. Self-Help is a family of five nonprofits, consisting of CRL, Self-Help Credit Union, Self-Help Federal Credit Union, Self-Help Ventures Fund, and the umbrella Center for Community Self-Help.

“Crystal’s decades of experience advancing inclusive economic opportunity and managing critical programs as well as her financial business expertise make her a perfect fit to lead the Julian Bond Institute,” said CRL President Mike Calhoun.

In May, JBI released its 2050 Survey, “Ambition without Access,” which looks toward the future of the financial marketplace and presents a robust, nationally representative look at how wealth and financial aspirations differ across race and generations.

“It is an honor to take on this new role and lead the Institute as it continues groundbreaking research into pocketbook problems and in pursuit of racial and economic justice,” said incoming JBI President and Self-Help EVP Crystal German.

Ms. German’s career spans the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. Before Self-Help, she served as Vice President of the Minority Business Accelerator and Economic Inclusion at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. There, she launched and led efforts to scale high-potential minority-owned businesses, resulting in job creation, increased procurement, and capital investment — a model that has since been replicated in communities across the country. She has also held leadership roles at the Institute of Minority Economic Development and led a boutique consulting firm focused on inclusive economic development strategies.

JBI, named for civil rights icon and founding CRL board member Julian Bond, serves as a research hub for creating fair financial products and policies that support the economic well-being of the nation’s increasingly diverse population. To learn more, go to https://www.julianbondinstitute.org.

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Press Contact: Matthew Kravitz matthew.kravitz@responsiblelending.org