Welcome to Federal Credit Fridays! The U.S. government is one of the largest lenders and credit guarantors on earth. Its portfolio is estimated at over $3.6 trillion, as measured by loan assets and the face value of loan guarantees. The government uses credit for a wide variety of policy missions, including housing, higher education, small businesses, rural and urban economic development, infrastructure, and export promotion, among others. This podcast will familiarize you with the vast world of federal credit, and we hope that you’ll learn about similarities and differences between these programs as well as the importance of their work to achieving policy missions within the framework of public-private collaboration.
In today’s podcast, I sit down with Chad Parker, a senior advisor to Summit and our clients. Before joining Summit, Parker served rural America for more than 31 years at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development, retiring as a deputy administrator for community facilities. During his tenure, Parker was in charge of administering loan and grant programs that provide facilities and equipment for rural businesses, telecommunication systems, single-family housing, health care facilities, public safety buildings, education facilities, municipal buildings, and a variety of other infrastructure projects.
Parker’s teams were responsible for the establishment of ReConnect, Emergency Rural Health Care Grants, Tribal College Initiative Grants, and the Rural Community Development Initiative. On this podcast, he shares his thoughts and perspectives on how Rural Development has changed over the years and what might be coming next. Listen below and let us know what you think.
