Small Business Robin Hood
Having built a career in banking, Jenny Flores knows a thing or two about money.
And as her work has been almost entirely focused on breaking down barriers to access, Jenny knows even more about how money harms or helps, depending on who’s holding it.
As the Head of Small Business Growth Philanthropy for Wells Fargo, Jenny masterminded a plan that moved $420 million from the bank’s bottom-line into the hands of small business owners impacted by Covid.
Having joined Wells only weeks into the pandemic, conceiving and selling this idea internally was no small feat.
But as someone who wakes up every morning with an inner voice declaring she’s got another chance to “dream big,” it’s all in a day’s work.
Settle in for some talk of impact and equity, but not without due time for her thoughts on play, ice cream, and the glory of a roly-poly bug.
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About Jenny:
Jenny Flores is Head of Small Business Growth Philanthropy for the Wells
Fargo Foundation, one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S. In
2020, the Foundation accelerated economic opportunity and success in
underserved communities with a strategic focus on housing affordability,
small business growth, and financial health, while also responding to the
urgent needs of COVID-19.
With more than two decades of experience in banking, impact philanthropy,
employee engagement, and corporate citizenship, Flores is responsible for
combining financial resources with business expertise to help underserved
and diverse entrepreneurs expand their contribution to the economy and
their ability to provide jobs. She also leads Wells Fargo’s $420 million Open
for Business Fund to support the immediate and long-term needs of small
businesses that were negatively impacted by the effects of COVID-19.
Most recently, she served as Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Bank of the West, where she led the company’s strategy for small business
engagement and environmental sustainability, including the creation of a
new $30 million investment fund with community development financial
institutions and the development of a $1 billion commitment to renewable
and clean energy. Prior to her role with Bank of the West, Flores spent a
decade in community development at Citigroup and also held roles at the
Congress of California Seniors, Greenlining Institute, and the California State
Legislature.
An active community leader, Flores is based in San Francisco and serves on
the Board of Directors for the Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO),
Harlem Grown, Chair of the Venture Capital Disruption Committee of How
Women Invest and volunteers as a mentor for start-up entrepreneurs
through the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center’s Milestone Maker program.
She is also a member of the Mastercard Strive USA Advisory Committee.
She received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of
California–Berkeley and an MBA from the FW Olin Graduate School of
Business at Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
How you can connect with Guest:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-flores-2672982/
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Sources and Websites from Episode
Welcome to K2C | Kindergarten to College
https://stories.wf.com/meaningful-investments-and-support-keep-small-business-doors-open/
