Aisha T. Weeks has joined the Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth as Managing Director. Aisha will take the lead in growing the Dearfield Fund alongside our partners and building it into the nation’s premier platform for Black and African American homeownership and wealth creation. The Dearfield Fund has grown tremendously in the last few months, helping more than 70 homebuyers close on their homes and deploying $2.8 million in down-payment support to members of our community. Under Aisha’s leadership, the Fund will continue to deepen our impact and build a long-term Black-led institution committed to bridging the racial wealth gap.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Aisha comes to us from the City of Cleveland where she managed the City’s community reinvestment and cross-sector partnership initiatives. She has extensive experience in consumer and small business lending, housing policy and advocacy, equity planning, and piloting and implementing financial inclusion strategies. Aisha is a National Urban Fellow alumna and she has previously worked at Citibank and at Cleveland State University as an adjunct professor. She has served on several boards, social service impact committees and micro-loan funds.

In her leadership role, partner with local and national housing stability leaders, develop our wraparound services strategy, establish lender vetting criteria and an onboarding process, and build out the Dearfield Fund team.