Cinnaire has announced Sarah Greenberg has been appointed President, Cinnaire Lending. Sarah brings more than 19 years of experience to the role, serving most recently as Cinnaire’s Senior Vice President, Affordable Housing and Lending where she oversaw real estate lending and played a key role in structuring the lending department to support Cinnaire’s continued growth.
“Sarah’s experience in the industry and her commitment to supporting racial and social equity in our lending practices will ensure continued stability for Cinnaire Lending as we expand our work in service of our mission and strategic plan,” said Mark McDaniel, Cinnaire President and CEO. “Her expertise in affordable housing and community development finance will serve as a strong asset as she steps into this leadership role. I’m excited for the innovative ideas and energy Sarah brings to our work creating solutions to improve lives and transform communities.”
As President, Cinnaire Lending, Sarah will set the strategy for Cinnaire’s Lending growth in both affordable housing and community development debt financing. She will also manage the teams responsible for originating, underwriting, and closing loans for the full range of Cinnaire Lending products.
A nationally recognized leader in affordable housing and community development, Sarah has demonstrated a commitment to advancing racial, social, and economic equity. She has worked in community investment for more than 19 years, holding leadership positions at NeighborWorks America, Forward Community Investments, the Northwest Side Community Development Corporation, and High Impact Financial Analysis. During her tenure at NeighborWorks, Sarah was one of the founders of the National Community Stabilization Trust (NCST), a national nonprofit created to facilitate the transfer of foreclosed properties to responsible community organizations. At Forward Community Investments, she launched an Emerging Developer Loan Program in early 2017 to provide financing to BIPOC real estate developers in Wisconsin.
Sarah has dedicated her career to empowering underserved people and communities. She ran her own consulting practice, Greenberg Strategies LLC, where she provided advisory services to government entities, philanthropic collaboratives, and CDFIs. As a consultant, she helped to launch the Milwaukee Rental Housing Resource Center, a first of its kind one-stop shop for tenants and landlords in need of assistance to prevent eviction that received accolades from the National League of Cities. Sarah is on the executive committee for the National CDFI Women’s Network and serves on the Board of Directors for Historic Milwaukee, Housing Resources, Inc., Tempo Milwaukee Foundation, and MobiliSE. She also serves on the Inclusive Financing Subcommittee of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition, where she is helping launch Illinois’ first green bank, authorized by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) in 2021.
Sarah received a master’s degree in Community Planning from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management from Tiffin University in Ohio. She has completed fellowships with the American Planning Association and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, along with professional certificates from Georgetown University and the University of Chicago.
