The Community Development Partnership (CDP), a non-profit organization creating opportunities for people to live, work and thrive on the Lower Cape, is pleased to announce that Ann Robinson has been hired as its Director of Economic Development. The Director of Economic Development is responsible for leading the organization’s Economic Development department in planning, executing and evaluating strategic business and credit programs that have measurable impact in the community.
“We are excited to have Ann and her extensive experience in small business development, lending and affordable housing at the CDP,” said Jay Coburn, Executive Director of the CDP. “As a long-time part-time resident of the Lower Cape, Ann understands the challenges we face in our seasonal, service based economy. And she brings a great depth of experience and new ideas to the CDP and the Lower Cape.”
Ann Robinson has had an interest in affordable housing and community development all her adult life. Prior to joining the CDP, she served for 22 years as the Executive Director for Community Capital Fund, a community development financial institution located in Bridgeport, Connecticut. During her time with Community Capital Fund, Ann led the organization’s work to provide loans to support affordable housing development, as well as the expansion of small businesses. Before then, Ann was the Executive Director of Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust, where she oversaw the development of rental and homeownership housing for low and moderate-income families. As the Executive Director of Bridgeport Neighborhood Housing and Commercial Services, her work was focused on residential rehabilitation projects for low and moderate income individuals.
Prior to entering the community development field, Ann spent 8 years in Westport, CT as an attorney in private practice specializing in litigation. Ann has an A.B. in government from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
Ann recently moved to Cape Cod full-time after owning a house in South Chatham for the past 10 years. She has vacationed in South Chatham since she was an infant, so the Cape has been her second home for a long time.
As the CDP’s Director of Economic Development, Robinson will lead the organization’s economic development efforts to strengthen business sectors with competitive regional advantage, especially traditional and renewable natural resource based industries. Current programs and services include:
1) Small Business Training & Technical Assistance – workshops, trainings and one on one technical assistance for small businesses starting up or poised for growth.
2) Micro-loan program – three loan funds that provide working capital for small businesses, ground fishermen and shell fish farmers who are unable to access traditional sources of financing.
3) The Cape Cod Fisheries Trust – a collaborative program of the CDP and the Cape Cod Commercial Fisherman’s Alliance working to protect depleted fisheries resources, reinvigorate fishing businesses and revitalize coastal fishing communities on Cape Cod.
Robinson started full-time with the organization on May 15th 2017.
