ICON CDC Announces Roberto Barragan as New Executive Director
Pacoima, CA (January 27, 2025) – The Board of Directors of the Initiating Change in Our
Neighborhoods Community Development Corporation (ICON CDC) announced today the appointment of Roberto Barragan as its new Executive Director, effective January 27, 2025.
For almost 40 years, Barragan has served in leadership positions with non-profit organizations focused on community lending and economic development. He is a nationally recognized expert on economic development loan funds, community development finance, organizational capacity building, and strategic resource generation. Barragan has been serving as ICON CDC’s Managing Director since August 2022.
Most recently, he served as the Executive Director of the California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA), a statewide association of Community Development Corporations and Financial institutions, since 2019, where he increased the budget to over $1 million annually, diversified its funding sources including contracts with the State of California as well as pandemic-related contracts with the cities of Carson and Burbank.
Over the last five years, Barragan raised over $25 million for CCEDA’s 200 members, produced 3 statewide conferences that attracted over 500 organizations and individuals, and deployed over $30 million in grants to small businesses and homeowners. Previously, he was the President of the Valley Economic Development Center (VEDC) for 17 years, overseeing the largest small business development non-profit in California.
Barragan has served as Chair and Vice Chair for the inaugural Federal Reserve Board of Governors Community Advisory Council; he also currently sits on the Boards of Directors of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, the Community Opportunity Alliance, and the Child Development Institute. Mr. Barragan graduated from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and International Law.
“While ICON CDC has been providing small business technical assistance and community development services in the San Fernando Valley for over 20 years ago, it has just received $300,000 from the federal CDFI Fund to expand its lending and $100,000 from the California Community Foundation to support its Wildfire Relief services to impacted workers and businesses,” said Dr. Juan M. Benitez, Founder of ICON CDC. “ICON CDC looks forward to greater impact and more resources to support the 20,000 small businesses and entrepreneurs in the Valley, ensuring that underserved and disenfranchised entrepreneurs receive the resources they need. We are confident Roberto has the skills and capabilities to take us to the next level.”
“I am honored and extremely excited to be trusted in this role,” said Barragan. “I have focused my career on building greater racial equity through partnerships with diverse community groups as well as businesses, philanthropic partners, and government. I look forward to working with the Board of Directors and ICON CDC’s funders to continue creating positive change in underserved and marginalized neighborhoods in the San Fernando Valley. ICON CDC has been an incredible advocate for small business and the Latino community for 20 years and I look forward to leading the organization’s exceptional and committed staff.”
