Leadership

Saffar brings extensive non-profit and private-sector financial experience and an entrepreneurial spirit to Cornerstone Fund. She previously served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Achievement Centers for Children, a Cleveland, Ohio based non-profit that provides an array of services to children and adults with disabilities. Prior to that, Saffar was an accountant at Ernst & Young and also ran her own catering company. After earning a Bachelors Degree from The Ohio State University, Saffar studied Accounting at the Masters level at Cleveland State University and earned an MBA in Applied Management from Indiana Wesleyan University

Rebecca Perera is Cornerstone’s Chief of Credit. Prior to her appointment as CoC, Rebecca was the Fund’s Director of Lending, where she developed and codified lending operations and served as primary underwriter. Rebecca came to Cornerstone from the Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI), a nonprofit SBA micro lender, where she shepherded dozens of small business owners through underwriting and provided both pre-loan technical expertise and post-loan business development consulting to support their enduring success.

Rebecca’s commitment to community-oriented and equitable access to resources — whether financial, educational, or cultural — makes her a vital contributor to Cornerstone’s mission-oriented approach to lending. Prior to her career in finance, Rebecca was a professional orchestral musician, performing on stages worldwide and spearheading a number of community engagement projects in the arts. This early work was the genesis of her ongoing commitment to community and economic development, including board service with a diverse array of organizations such as Noteworthy Federal Credit Union, Les Delices Early Music Ensemble, Metro West Community Development Organization and Cleveland Public Theatre’s Masrah Al-Arabi.

She holds degrees from Oberlin College and Rice University.

Having spent the first half of his career working in private equity and leveraged lending, Scott turned toward social impact investing, looking to make a greater difference in the world through high-impact, community-driven initiatives. After graduating with Distinction from Cornell University, Scott began his career in finance with Blackstone. He went on to co-found Swander Pace Capital, a private equity firm with over $1 billion under management focused on building and growing world-class consumer businesses. Driven by a passion for using the tools of finance for the good of those who need it most, Scott then worked for the Non-Profit Finance Fund and RSF Social Finance, two Bay Area organizations at the forefront of the impact investment sector. Given his rare combination of for-profit and non-profit finance experience, Scott brings a depth of experience and diligence to sourcing and gathering catalytic capital, financial structuring, and grant-making programs for social impact investment initiatives. He is passionate about bringing the tools and skills of finance to community-focused organizations looking to affect long-term change.

Rev. Dr. Courtney Stange-Tregear is Vice President, Chief Relationship Officer of Cornerstone Fund and clergyperson in the United Church of Christ, anchored in the dynamic work of social justice advocacy and congregational transformation. She formerly served the Pacific Northwest Conference as the Minister for Church Vitality and then the Acting Conference Minister. While in conference leadership she worked to center relationship and storytelling for increased vitality, while drawing on her community organizing background to support and sustain dynamic, collaborative, and intersectional churches. She previously pastored local congregations in California and Maryland. The Rev. Dr. Stange-Tregear is a founding member and former chair of the Alliance of Associate Conference Ministers and is a member of the Antoinette Brown Society leadership. Her beliefs are deeply rooted in the Great Books tradition of St. John’s College, where she received her undergraduate degree. She is dedicated to lifelong learning, holding degrees from the University of Leeds in Philosophy and Religion, a Master of Divinity from Andover Newton Theological School, and a Doctor of Ministry from Bexley Seabury Seminary.

Maria C. Coyne serves as the President and CEO of the UCC Cornerstone Fund. Maria is a financial services executive with over 30 years of experience in commercial and retail banking. Nationally recognized as an engaging leader, Maria is featured in several books and publications including How Women Lead by Dr. Sharon Hadary, and Off the Sidelines by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. She has also worked with several “fintech” companies providing strategic consulting, and as a senior consultant at the telos institute. While at KeyCorp from 2001 to 2015 she served as an Executive Vice President and a member of KeyCorp’s Executive Council. She was the founder of the Key4 Women program and also held leadership positions in Retail/Consumer Banking, Business Banking, Strategic Planning, and Client Experience. She was named twice (in 2013 and 2014) as one of American Banker’s “25 Most Powerful Women in Banking”, and twice as one of the “Women to Watch” (2011 and 2012). Prior to Key, she spent three years at the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and over 10 years at Bank One Cleveland, serving in various management capacities before becoming Director of Marketing. She is a prominent thought leader on small business and women’s leadership and has been featured frequently in media including the Wall Street Journal, CNN, NPR, Bloomberg News, and BusinessWeek. Maria has considerable experience serving on non-profit boards including the Cleveland Catholic Diocese finance council, the Ursuline Sisters finance council, Beaumont school, the MacDonald Women’s Health Council of University Hospitals, the Sovereign Order of St. John, and she was an inaugural member of the United Way Women’s Leadership Council.

Maria is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance. She also completed the Key Executive Experience at the Case Weatherhead School of Management. Maria is a proud Clevelander, where she and her husband raised their two adult children. She is an avid rower and enjoys travel and learning about new cultures.