Molly Merriman ’00, a credit analyst in Philadelphia, is expanding the educational horizon for thousands of students. She is a loan officer for the Reinvestment Fund, a community development financial institution that finances neighborhood revitalization projects. “The organization has proven to be a great fit for me,” Merriman says. The Reinvestment Fund has been able to play an important role in helping schools secure capital for a quality facility, closing more than $230 million in loans to 70 charter schools that educate more than 33,000 students in the mid-Atlantic area.

 

As a loan officer, the alum works primarily with nonprofit charter schools that operate in low income communities helping them secure or renovate their facility. Charter schools are public schools that receive funding from public sources, but must locate and finance their own buildings, Merriman explains.

 

“Walking through different charter schools and learning about the unique aspects of their programs is the best part of my job,” she says.

 

Merriman graduated from Villanova University where she majored in finance and has a master’s degree in public administration from New York University. At NYU, she studied financial management for nonprofit organizations and worked with a number of social service organizations in the city through an internship at Fiscal Management Associates. Previously she was an associate with KPMG, a top international financial services network and management consultant.

 

As an advocate for charter schools, Merriman says she continues to be inspired by good teachers and principals who are helping students to lead happy and independent lives. “There are schools with visionary leaders and engaging curriculums that are doing incredible work—getting students who have fallen far behind to perform at or above grade level,” she notes. “I think about Gilmour often when I walk through schools,” Merriman notes. “I feel incredibly lucky to have had such a strong, solid education with inspired teachers who are interested in the lives alumni are leading.”

 

Merriman is engaged to Dan Melloh, also a Villanova graduate. They plan to marry in the fall.