OUR STORY

We’re data divers.
And also people people.

In 2017, we saw a gap in the CDFI ecosystem. While many firms exist to help CDFIs get certified and funded, few are there for what comes next. We founded Olea to help lenders build and sustain the infrastructure they need to meet their missions.

As the leading provider of underwriting services for CDFIs, our team brings practitioner-level expertise across underwriting, credit policy, and lending operations.

Our name, Olea, comes from the olive trees (olea europaea) that grow wild where our business was founded. Like olive trees, the lenders we work with cultivate durable prosperity in their communities.

OUR TEAM

Amy Collins

Founder & CEO

  • Her career has taken her through nearly every role in a lending department: loan officer, underwriter, team manager, consultant, and executive. That breadth of experience is what makes her effective. She has created innovative loan products, written credit policies, designed underwriting software, and helped organizations build high-performing loan funds from the ground up. Whether she is coaching loan officers on pipeline management or advising leadership on strategy, she brings a grounded, whole-organization perspective to every engagement.

    Before starting The Olea Group, Amy worked in financial analysis and community development at Accion in Chicago, where she served as an underwriter, loan officer, and lending team trainer. She was also a founding employee at Sé Más Microfinanzas in Punta de Mita, Mexico, where she led loan product design and social impact measurement.

    Amy serves on the board of Grow, a CDFI in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and volunteers through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. She holds a master's degree in Business Analytics from the University of Notre Dame and a bachelor's degree in International Studies from Hope College. Her work has been published in the Journal of Cost Management. She speaks Spanish and holds QuickBooks and Xero Advisor Certifications.

Maggie Reilly

Director of Underwriting

  • Before joining The Olea Group, Maggie held leadership and lending roles at CDFIs in the Pacific Northwest. Her work has included affordable housing and community facilities lending, commercial lending, portfolio management, capital raising, and developing financial products and programs designed to expand access to capital and promote economic inclusion.

    Maggie’s commitment to economic inclusion and community economic development extends into her volunteer work. She has served on nonprofit boards, including in officer roles, and has more than a decade of experience providing tax preparation assistance through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program. She holds a post-graduate certificate in Community Development Finance, as well as degrees in Foreign Languages and Literature and International Affairs.

Rachel Friedman

Senior Underwriter

  • She began her career in Financial Institution Credit Risk before pivoting to work as a financial and strategic advisor for mission-driven startups and investors, and later as a CFO for small and midsize businesses. Throughout her career, Rachel worked with organizations to strengthen profitability, achieve sustainable growth, and advance long-term financial health, while maximizing social and environmental impact.

    She holds a bachelor's degree in Finance and Economics from NYU Stern School of Business, where she was an MLK Jr. Scholar. Outside of work, she enjoys practicing yoga, reading, and spending time along the Fort Lauderdale waterways with her dog, Dakota.

Kate Robertson

Underwriter

  • An active CPA, Kate holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Bucknell University and also has a background in Spanish studies. She serves on the board for a local non-profit focused on collegiate campus ministry and enjoys being involved in the Pittsburgh community, where she lives with her husband and three children. Kate is an Ironwoman and an avid pianist, and finds peace exercising outdoors.

Join our team.

We’re proud to offer meaningful work for experienced CDFI professionals and motivated individuals looking to enter the space. 

Our fully-remote team enjoys scheduling flexibility, an annual bonus opportunity, and full benefits including health, dental, vision, and short- and long-term disability insurance, plus a retirement match. We offer paid sick and vacation time, half-day summer Fridays, close for all federal holidays, and take an extended break in December.

Open positions are posted on the CDFI Industry Job Bank, but we're always interested in hearing from talented people in the CDFI space, whether or not we have an open role. 

Send us a note.