Executive & Senior Management

President | Chief Executive Officer

James H. Bason sets and refines the broad strategic direction for the organization and leads a highly collaborative team in the execution of all programs and services. Mr. Bason provides tactical oversight for all aspects of our programs, staffing, operations, monitoring and reporting of social impact outcomes.

James H. Bason is an experienced financial executive with a history of providing comprehensive lending management expertise. Prior to joining TruFund Financial, he was Senior Vice President and Chief Lending Officer at Carver Bancorp, a nationally recognized community banking organization where he served in various executive roles during his nine-year tenure. During this time, he successfully drove organizational growth to build the loan portfolio from $250 million to $675 million and developed and implemented policies and procedures to enhance financial controls and to improve lending and loan servicing operations.

Previously, Mr. Bason served in positions of increasing responsibility at The Bank of New York, formerly as Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Lending and Community Development. Prior to that, Mr. Bason was the Community Reinvestment Act Officer at Barclays Bank in New York.

He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Oswego and a Banking Diploma in Finance from the American Institute of Banking. He recently completed a Citi/Opportunity Finance Network (OFN)-sponsored leadership training program for Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) executives at Wharton University. He completed his Formal Bank Credit Training Program at the Bank of New York.

Senior Vice President | Structured Lending & Investments

Jerrel is responsible for building and executing TruFund’s equity investment platform. He leads fund management, capital initiatives, relationship management, underwriting, and portfolio support, focusing on investments in historically under-resourced developers of affordable housing. Jerrel has a 15+ year banking background that includes LIHTC investments, construction loans to all asset classes, and Fannie Mae loans for affordable housing cooperatives. Jerrel holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, an MBA from the University of Maryland College Park, and a Master of Professional Studies in Real Estate from Georgetown University. He also holds the CFA’s Private Markets and Alternative Investment Certificate. 

Senior Vice President | Chief Lending Officer

OC Isaac is a seasoned financial executive with over 15 years of experience in lending, credit administration, and mission-driven economic development. He currently serves as Chief Lending Officer at TruFund, where he leads strategic lending initiatives to expand access to capital for small businesses and underserved communities.

OC began his career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, specializing in capital markets and structured finance. His commitment to equitable economic development led him to the CDFI sector, where he first served as a Presidential Appointee under President Obama at the Small Business Administration (SBA). As a Special Advisor in the Office of Capital Access, he played a key role in shaping small business lending policies and programs at the national level.

Throughout his career, OC has led innovative lending programs across multiple sectors. As Senior Vice President and Chief Credit Officer at Locus Bank, he oversaw a diverse portfolio, including housing, renewable energy, and small business financing. Previously, as Chief Credit Officer at PCR Business Finance, he launched the People of Color Business Elevation Fund, which provided over $10 million in capital to underrepresented entrepreneurs, and successfully revitalized the organization’s SBA lending platform.

With expertise in impact-driven finance, OC remains committed to fostering economic equity and strengthening communities through responsible lending.

Senior Vice President | Chief Credit & Compliance Officer

Michael Vaugh is Senior Vice President and Chief Credit & Compliance Officer for TruFund Financial Services, Inc. Mr. Vaugh is responsible for TruFund’s credit risk management division, which includes underwriting and approval, credit administration, portfolio analytics, credit risk rating methodologies, counterparty risk, and problem loan management. Mr. Vaugh is an experienced commercial credit manager with formal credit training from Omega Performance. Mr. Vaugh has management and underwriting experience with Commercial Real Estate, Small Business Lending and C&I Lending. Over his 14 years of industry experience, he has worked with a variety of businesses such as Fortune 500 financial institutions, federal credit unions and nonprofit community development financial institutions (CDFIs). Mr. Vaugh holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Business Administration from East Stroudsburg University.

Executive Vice President | Chief Operating Officer

As the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Evans focuses is on spearheading strategic initiatives that enhance financial resilience and operational efficiency. This commitment is reflected in our strategic vision and annual business plan.

Dr. Evans’ responsibilities extend to refining systems, processes, and policies, ensuring TruFund’s operations comply with the organization’s mission. By optimizing resources across all business lines, Dr. Evans will lead driving cost-effectiveness and support TruFund’s goal of revitalizing communities and fueling job creation.

Dr. Evans holds advanced degrees in organizational and business psychology, business administration, and entrepreneurship. With over 20 years of experience as a business and economic development professional having worked in both the government and nonprofit sector, Dr. Evans has extensive experience in development strategy consulting, federal fund administration to include Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG); strategic partnership and relationship management. Kim joined TruFund in 2012 and was responsible for resource development, strategic partnerships, and program implementation in the Louisiana market.

Prior to joining TruFund, she served in roles of increasing responsibility with the State of Louisiana Department of Economic Development; City of New Orleans Department of Economic Development; United States Department of Commerce–Minority Business Development Agency and Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation–Urban Entrepreneur Partnership. As a management and strategy consultant with CCMG Management, Dr. Evans served as senior business and municipal strategist. In addition to her professional achievements, Dr. Evans is deeply committed to volunteerism within the local community through various board appointments and ministry service.

Senior Vice President | Director of Resource Development

Brianna Gavigan, SVP and Director of Resource Development, leads TruFund’s national fundraising, strategic partnerships, and capital development to support our mission.

She brings more than 15 years of experience in community development finance. Prior to joining TruFund, Brianna worked at Capital for Change (formerly the Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund) where she began her career as an AmeriCorps VISTA and supported affordable housing and community development initiatives across Connecticut.

Brianna holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Mary Washington and a Master of Social Work from the University of Connecticut with a focus on policy and program development, where she also served as adjunct faculty and staff. She also holds a Certificate in Community Development Finance from the Carsey School of Public Policy. She serves on the boards of Project Oak and the Branford Festival.

Senior Vice President | Chief Financial Officer

Stephanie Kabore Turquin serves as the Chief Financial Officer for TruFund and its subsidiaries. Alongside the CEO and COO, she leads TruFund’s financial and capital strategy, risk governance, and lender relationships, shaping the organization’s balance sheet and supporting its growth and capital deployment priorities. She also oversees the organization’s financial operations to support scale.

Stephanie brings over 20 years of experience across institutional wealth management and impact finance. Before TruFund, she was Global Finance Director at myAgro, where she was part of the core team that raised over $100 million in institutional funding to support a rapidly scaling, multi-country operation. Before that, she spent five years at BBR Partners, one of New York’s premier family offices with over $30 billion under management, where, as VP of Finance, she built the firm’s FP&A and financial planning capabilities from the ground up. She began her career in institutional finance at Scotiabank and JP Morgan Chase before moving into senior financial leadership roles across multiple sectors.

Stephanie holds an MBA from Babson College and a Bachelor of Commerce from Concordia University. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in New York and is fluent in English and French.