Board of Directors

Alfred Solano is the Vice President of the Waco Family Medicine Foundation. WFM is a Federally Qualified Health Center that focuses on primary health care for the most vulnerable people of the Heart of Texas. He was previously with the Cen-Tex Hispanic Chamber as President/CEO with a focus on serving the needs of small businesses in order to create greater collaboration and growth in our community.

He graduated from Texas State Technical College in 1982 with a degree in AAS Electronics Technology. He has over 30 years of experience in the office technology industry, where he provided business equipment and software solutions and broad service on various nonprofit boards and advisory councils.

Alfred’s interest in nonprofit began when he attended a Hispanic Chamber monthly luncheon that opened his eyes to how broad of an impact a chamber can have on people. As the former President of the CTHCC, Alfred worked to create partnerships with small businesses and local resources across the Waco community.

Other impactful roles he held prior to McCIF were in serving:

• City Center Waco
• First Central Credit Union
• City of Waco Recycling Advisory Council
• Prosper Waco
• Waco Family Medicine
• Hillcrest Healthcare Center
• MCC Foundation

Currently, Alfred serves the Waco community on the following boards:

• StartUp Waco
• Act Locally Waco
• KWBU

Alfred has been married to his wife, Rachel, for 15 years. He has one daughter, Elena, who has also invested in a career focused on serving others.

John Alexander brings over 30 years of experience working with nonprofits. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1986 with a degree in Recreation and Parks. John began his career in nonprofits as a full-time volunteer with Habitat for Humanity International. John has worked with the following nonprofits:

• Habitat for Humanity International in 1987
• Mennonite Central Committee
• Executive Director of Waco Habitat for Humanity from 1998-2013
• Accessibility Inspector from 2013 to 2019
• Returned to Waco Habitat in 2019

Before moving to Waco, John volunteered in Nicaragua for 3 years. He then moved to Waco, where he has been living and working in the McCIF investment area ever since.

Jocelyn Williams is the Center of Business Excellence Coordinator for the Centex African American Chamber of Commerce. As coordinator, her focus is centered around supporting and promoting Waco McLennan County small minority businesses. This is done through getting to know the local business owners and their needs and hopes for their businesses, providing resources and programming such as marketing strategy workshops and social media best practices, and supporting business growth by providing information about vendor and event opportunities as well as grants and loans.

Jocelyn also has experience in supporting community development from her previous role as Community Organizer for Grassroots Community Development. In that role, she connected with community leaders and partners in building healthy relationships within the community and supported community events and activities with schools, churches, businesses, and neighborhood associations. Jocelyn is also a musician, a Classical Flautist, and a former music teacher and church music director.

She has a Master of Music Performance from Catholic University of America, Inc. She also has a vast amount of experience and knowledge in Diversity, Inclusion and Equity initiatives and strategies from her previous work with schools and in the community. She is a certified SEED Facilitator. SEED stands for Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity.

She has facilitated yearlong seminars for school staff, and parents at her position at her school in Maryland. She has also served on several Maryland, DC Metropolitan Diversity and Inclusion School Conference Planning Boards and worked with the National Association of Independent Schools on their host committee in planning their National Conference in DC in 2013. She is a native of Maryland and moved to Waco after marrying her husband, Morris. She enjoys traveling, movies, spas, and good food.

Oscar Chombo is a relationship manager, VP at Cadence Bank with over 8 years of experience in the banking industry. His focus is on fostering relationships and steering strategic financial solutions for his clients. His dedication to exceptional service has solidified trust and growth within the Waco community.

 Oscar obtained his BBA in Finance and Business from Sam Houston State University in 2016. This has enabled Oscar to leverage his expertise in finance and customer service to drive success. Fluent in both English and Spanish, he seamlessly bridges the communication gap in diverse markets, enhancing his outreach and customer engagement.

 Oscar was born and raised in Groesbeck, Tx, but relocated to Waco in 2021. Oscar enjoys spending time with his fiance, Kimberly Taylor, family, friends and their two pups. When not at the office you can normally find Oscar out on the golf course. Oscar and Kimberly are expecting their first child in May of 2025.

Tom Chase is the Chairman of the Board of Insurors Financial Corp. and its subsidiaries, Insurors Indemnity Company, Insurors Indemnity Select and Insurors Indemnity Underwriters after having served as President and CEO from their founding to 2014. Tom began his insurance career in 1972 with the predecessor of Insurors of Texas General Agency, having previously practiced law with Naman, Howell, Smith and Lee in Waco, Texas.

A graduate of the University of Texas School of Law in Austin, he holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence with Honors degree and was a member of Phi Delta Phi and Order of Coif.  He has a BA from Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN.  Tom has earned the designations of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI) and Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding (AFSB).  He is a past President (1981) and Director (1979 – 1982) of The Independent Insurance Agents of Central Texas.

His experiences in insurance include:

• Chair at Insurors Indemnity Company
• Chair at Insurors Indemnity Select
• Chair at Insurors Indemnity Underwriters
• Chairman of the Board of Insurors Financial Corp.
• Designations of Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU)
• Accredited Advisor in Insurance (AAI)
• Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding (AFSB)
• Previous President (1981) and Director (1979 – 1982) of The Independent Insurance Agents of Central Texas

Tom serves on committees of numerous civic organizations and is also a member of the board of directors of Central National Bank. Tom and his wife, Penny, have a son, George, who is President of Insurors of Texas General Agency, Ltd., and a daughter, Felicia Goodman, who is the Executive Director of the Cooper Foundation of Waco.

Her interest in nonprofits and commitment to the community can be seen in the many roles she serves in the community, especially in her role as Council Liaison for the Waco Youth Council. Andrea continues her love for working with young people by coaching them in civic leadership training and helping them cultivate special projects like recycling and educating other young people about their carbon footprint. 

Andrea also serves on:

• Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Museum Board
• Airport Advisory Board
• Texas Downtown Association Board
• Texas Travel Alliance Board
• Waco ISD Foundation Board
• Prosper Waco Board
• Creative Waco Cultural Arts Task Force
• NAACP Executive Committee as 2nd Vice President and Economic Engagement Chair
• Communities in Schools Board
• StartUp Waco Board
• Community Visioning Board
• Texas Lyceum

She is also a proud member of the Waco Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.  Andrea has been married to her husband, Elijah, for 18 years and is the mother to two boys, Drew and Jaxon.

Austin Buchs is the Mission Services Coordinator for Heart of Texas Goodwill and serves on multiple boards in the Greater Waco Area which include, The Cove, Shepherd’s Way and most recently McLennan Community Investment Fund.

Growing up in the military, Austin has traveled the world and was able to meet different people and cultures which assisted in his personality traits as he navigated through the for-profit sector in his sales career.

Before taking the Mission Services Coordinator position for Heart of Texas Goodwill, Austin has had over a decade of experience in (for-profit) sales, marketing, operations / small business consulting and has been a part of a number of different startups helping grow their internal and external functions.

Austin attended Texas State University and Majored in Business Management. Aside from faith, family, and business, Austin’s greatest passion is giving back to the community and being a resource for the underserved.

Luther is Co-founder and Managing Partner at Access Capital Technologies (ACT), an Austin-based company specializing in software and qualification tools for the Microfinance and Nonprofit industries. He previously held the position of Head of Digital Lending and Account Origination strategy at Fiserv, after the company acquired iLendx, a company he co-founded.

Luther’s extensive experience includes senior executive roles at USAA, where he oversaw lending, risk management, and product development. He also held board and leadership roles with LiftFund (formerly ACCION Texas) and Coolerado Corporation. He has deployed over $20 billion in capital, managed portfolios of over $100 billion, and raised more than $1 billion.

Luther is a veteran who supports veteran causes and has a BA in Political Science and Business from New Mexico State University.

Larry began as a loan officer with the SBA, eventually becoming the Regional Financial Director and Deputy Director for the Dallas/Ft Worth District Office. He then held executive positions at Banco Popular and Prosper Bank, before retiring as EVP of Texas Bank in 2017. Now he consults with Texas Bank through L Miller and Associates.

Anna is the Senior VP of Commercial Banking at Truist, with 33 years of experience in Business and Commercial Banking. She serves as Vice Chair of Ann Richards School Foundation, Board Secretary of PeopleFund and Texas Pride Impact Foundation, and is a board member of Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber Foundation. Anna graduated magna cum laude from St. Edwards University with a BBA in Accounting and earned a Master of Science in Leadership and Change in 2020.

As Chief Financial Officer of Opportunity Finance Network, Beth Lipson brings 25 years of experience and deep knowledge of the CDFI industry. Since joining OFN in 1997, Lipson has served in a broad range of roles, leading the organization’s capital, finances and budgets, compliance, grants, and risk management. Lipson has spearheaded several key initiatives during her time at OFN. In 2012, she developed a new executive role to lead the development and execute strategic cross-functional industry initiatives, including the NEXT Awards and Create Jobs for USA. Lipson spent nine years on the financial services team and currently serves on OFN’s investment committee.  Previously, Lipson worked in business valuation at Coopers and Lybrand (now PwC) and spent two years at the Federal Reserve Board researching trends in savings and loans. Her passion for community and mission-driven business brought her to the CDFI world.

Like the industry she works in, Lipson has a strong connection to place. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Lipson received her education there as well. She has an MBA from the Wharton School with concentrations in policy and finance and a BA from University of Pennsylvania.

Cecilia manages service experience, small business and community development, regulatory compliance, sales, and employee performance of 34 Woodforest branches across greater Austin and San Antonio, TX. She began as a retail banker in Sequin, TX in 2001 and was promoted to Vice President of Retail Banking in 2017. Castelo is a graduate of the Bank Operations Institute of Texas and serves on the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Small Business Committee.

Dorothy is the SVP and MD of Partnerships and Services for CRA/Community Development at Truist. She leads a team of community development managers across six states to execute on Truist’s Community Reinvestment Act objectives. Dorothy serves on several boards supporting housing, small businesses, healthcare, and higher education.

Melinda Costa is a seasoned leader in affordable housing and community development finance, with over 25 years of experience across lending, underwriting, and impact investing. At Wells Fargo, she manages a national portfolio of CDFI clients, delivering capital to support small businesses and underserved communities. Her prior roles include senior positions at Fannie Mae, PNC Real Estate, and Volunteers of America, with deep expertise in LIHTC, NMTC, and multifamily finance. Melinda has served on several nonprofit boards and holds an MBA in Finance from the University of North Carolina.

Bryan Rubio is the Director of Development at The Holdsworth Center, dedicated to supporting and empowering diverse educational leaders. In this capacity, Bryan spearheads fundraising initiatives critical to the center’s success.

Previously, Bryan served as the Chief Development Officer at Waterloo Greenway Conservancy, where he successfully led a $265 million capital campaign for the planning, design, and construction of a 35-acre downtown Austin park. Before this, Bryan founded Rubio & Co. Fundraising Consultants, offering comprehensive support to local nonprofits, from strategic planning and coaching to direct fundraising and grant writing.

Bryan has raised more than $220 million throughout his career. As a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from St. Edward’s University and a Bachelor of Science in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin.

Charmane H. Sellers is an Honorable U.S. Air Force Veteran and the President/CEO of ALEON Properties, Inc., a construction and training services with more than two decades in business. ALEON provides renovation, remodel, interior finish-out, and OSHA safety training services to public and private sector clients. Notable projects include work with the City of Austin, Texas A&M San Antonio, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. ALEON is also an EPA Accredited Training Provider, having trained over 500 contractors in lead-safe practices.
Charmane holds degrees in Psychology and Public Administration, with a focus on veteran services, affordable housing, education, and technology. With over 20 years of public affairs and community engagement experience, she has participated in several prestigious business development programs and is a published researcher and author. ALEON is named in memory of her mother, Leona, reflecting Charmane’s legacy as a second-generation entrepreneur.