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.
