Who We Serve

Thrive serves refugees from around the world who have been invited to start a new life in the United States and who have resettled in Georgia. Most of the refugee entrepreneurs we serve are low-income and often can not access credit. Refugees face additional challenges like language and cultural barriers, limited or no credit history, and limited business skills and knowledge of American financial systems.

“Thanks to you, the quality of our life has changed a lot. I am very grateful to you for your work, for the fact that you give people joy.” - Thrive Borrower 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Cindy Holler

    CHAIR

    Cindy is President and CEO of Community Housing Capital, serving nationwide in her role. She is the first Board Chair of Thrive and has over 30 years of experience in CDFI operations, capital aggregation, and credit risk management.

  • Aimee Zangandou

    VICE CHAIR

    Aimee is Executive Director of Refugee and Immigrant Services at Inspiritus. She is from a refugee background and thus brings invaluable lived experience to Thrive. She is experienced in refugee nonprofit leadership, client services, budget management, and program design.

  • Ed Ringer

    TREASURER AND FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR

    Ed is a retired information technology executive and current Thrive Board member, serving as Treasurer. He has over 40 years experience in technology, management, business and development, as well as nonprofit board leadership.

  • Phillip Bailey

    LOAN COMMITTEE CHAIR

    Phillip is Director of the HIAS Economic Advancement Fund, an emerging CDFI serving refugees in multiple states. During the past six years, he has raised capital and operating support, overseen portfolio performance and compliance, developed new loan products, and expanded to new geographic markets.

  • John Moeller

    CORPORATE OFFICER

    John is President and CEO of Inspiritus, the nonprofit parent organization of Thrive. He is the current Board Chair of the Georgia Interfaith Public Policy Center and is experienced in nonprofit management, fundraising, strategic planning, and community outreach.

THRIVE COMMUNITY LENDING STAFF

  • John Arnold

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    John joined Thrive in Feb. 2024 as its first executive director. He leads Thrive’s strategic direction and builds the capacity of the organization to ensure it provides quality services to refugees. John has 28 years’ experience creating pathways for refugees to thrive and is a recognized expert in refugee resettlement and financial empowerment. He previously served in leadership roles with The Welcome Co-op, a cooperative of the Atlanta-area resettlement agencies and with World Relief where he served as Programs Director.

  • Spencer Clark

    ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT PROGRAM MANAGER

    Spencer leads Inspiritus’ economic empowerment programs and provides invaluable loan operations and servicing support to Thrive. He has been part of the Inspiritus Economic Empowerment team for five years, including three years as manager. Spencer helped design, implement, and oversee the microenterprise development program that has now become Thrive.

  • Hang Lian

    MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR

    Hang Lian designs and implements client recruitment and intake processes, training curricula, coaching, and technical assistance to ensure business success for the clients he serves. Lian is a pastor, community leader, and refugee advocate for Atlanta’s Burmese community. Born in Burma, Lian speaks five southeast Asian languages. Lian spent nine years as a volunteer counselor and fund-raiser for Zo refugees in Malaysia and has three years of housing counseling experience at Pan Asian Community Services in Atlanta.

  • Enock Kabwende

    MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT COACH

    Enock Kabwende delivers coaching and assists with client recruitment, enrollment assessment, help to clients in developing individual service plans, and case file monitoring. Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Enock is an entrepreneur and the founder of CongoCash, a charitable organization focused on children in the Congo. Enock previously worked at the International Rescue Committee, where he created entrepreneurship management programs. He is active in the Congolese Community of Atlanta and speaks three African languages and French.

Spotlight on Our Entrepreneurs 

Jerry - We celebrate Jerry, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who received a loan from Thrive Community Lending to  kickstart his small business journey! With the support and guidance from the Thrive and Inspiritus teams, Jerry has honed his skills and is  ready to flourish in his microenterprise. He used the funds to purchase a vehicle to provide delivery services across Atlanta. Jerry’s  dream is to expand his business and make enough income to support himself and his family. Thrive Community Lending provides training and capital to entrepreneurs like Jerry to help them thrive in their new life in America! 

Petro - Thrive is proud to be able to provide support to Petro! He fled his native Ukraine where he was a pastor and entrepreneur managing a  bakery business. Now Petro is bringing a franchise of the successful Lviv Croissants to the Atlanta area – the first of its kind outside  Eastern Europe. Petro is uniting his passion for orphaned Ukrainian children with his business acumen to create a means to support his  family and extend help to others.