Bill Bynum is chief executive officer of ECD/HOPE (Enterprise Corporation of the Delta and Hope Community Credit Union). One of the nation's leading community development financial institutions, ECD/ HOPE leverages private, public, and philanthropic resources to tackle the development needs facing low-wealth individuals, families, and communities in the Delta, and other distressed parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Since 1994 ECD/HOPE has generated over $180 million in financing for entrepreneurs, homebuyers, and community development projects, and has directly benefited more than 13,000 individuals. Prior to joining ECD/HOPE, Bynum managed community development initiatives at the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center. Previously, he helped establish Self-Help, a pioneer in the development banking industry. A University of North Carolina graduate, he is a Henry Crown Fellow and was named 2002 National Supporter of Entrepreneurship by Ernst & Young and the Kaufman Foundation. Bynum chairs the President's Community Development Advisory Board, and serves on the boards of AmSouth Bank Community Development Corporation, Foundation for the Mid South, North Carolina Minority Support Center, Partners for the Common Good, and the Fannie Mae Corporation Southeast Regional Advisory Council.