News & Press Releases2022-08-29T10:23:41-04:00

News & Press Releases

Honoring Donna Gambrell’s Legacy — and Investing in What Comes Next

February 2026

At the end of 2025, Donna Gambrell concluded a remarkable career dedicated to expanding access to capital and opportunity. Through her leadership at the FDIC, the CDFI Fund, and Appalachian Community Capital (ACC) — and her service across the field — Donna helped shape a more inclusive, collaborative, and resilient community development finance ecosystem.

To honor her legacy, ACC established the Gambrell Fund for Strategic Initiatives, a fund designed to carry forward the values and vision that defined Donna’s work.

The fund supports leadership development and mentoring, inclusive ecosystem building, technology and data capacity, and storytelling — investments that strengthen community lenders and magnify impact across Appalachia and rural communities nationwide. These are long-term capabilities that help institutions navigate change, deepen impact, and remain grounded in mission.

This spring, we look forward to publicly recognizing our Gambrell Fund donors, who are committed to advancing Donna’s legacy by investing in the people, systems, and ideas shaping our future.

You are invited to contribute! Gifts can be made:

Appalachian Community Capital Board of Directors Selects Daniel Wallace as new President and CEO

December 2025

Christiansburg, VA [December 2, 2025] – Appalachian Community Capital (ACC) is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has selected Daniel Wallace as the organization’s next President and CEO. Daniel will step into his new role on January 2, 2026, succeeding Donna Gambrell, who will retire at year’s end after guiding ACC through almost a decade of transformative growth.

With nearly 30 years of rural business development and nonprofit leadership, Daniel’s  experience includes owning and operating a small business and serving as Executive Director of an arts organization. He leads with an entrepreneurial spirit, expertise in community development, and a passion for making a difference in rural communities.

Finance Trailblazer Donna Gambrell Receives 2025 Ned Gramlich Lifetime Achievement Award for Responsible Finance

October 2025

Washington, D.C. (October 23, 2025) – Last night, Opportunity Finance Network (OFN), the nation’s leading network and intermediary focused on community development investment, presented Donna Gambrell with the 2025 Ned Gramlich Lifetime Achievement Award for Responsible Finance during The Opportunity Honors: Award Ceremony and Reception. The Gramlich Award is the community development finance industry’s highest individual honor recognizing people of distinction and their impact on the community development financial institution (CDFI) industry.

 Opportunity Appalachia 2025 Investor Convening Recap

 September 11, 2025

 We were thrilled to welcome over 150 participants, including more than 60 investors from 40 financial institutions, to Asheville, NC, on August 11 – 12, for the 2025 Opportunity Appalachia Investor Convening. Over two days, the in-person attendees made connections, heard pitch presentations from 25 portfolio projects seeking over $250 million in financing, engaged with insightful keynote and panel discussions, and toured local projects. Together, we built momentum for participating communities and the region as a whole, demonstrating the promise of investment in Central Appalachia.

 2025 Opportunity Appalachia Investor Convening Photos

August 2025

 were thrilled to welcome over 130 participants, including more than 60 investors from 40 organizations, to Asheville, NC for the 2025 Opportunity Appalachia Investor Convening. Over two days, attendees connected, heard pitch presentations from 25 portfolio projects seeking over $250 million in financing, engaged with insightful panel discussions, and toured local projects. Below, you can explore the photos from the event, capturing its energy, collaboration, and momentum.

Position Announcement:
ACC PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

August 2025

Appalachian Community Capital (ACC) is seeking a talented, innovative, and strategic leader to serve as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to deepen ACC’s vision for generating and supporting sustainable economic growth in Appalachia and rural communities at a time of unprecedented opportunity and change. The President and CEO embodies the values of ACC and strives to expand impact more deeply into underserved, economically distressed markets in the region.

Donna Gambrell, President & CEO of Appalachian Community Capital, Announces Retirement

July 2025

Christiansburg, VA, [July 11, 2025] – Donna Gambrell, President and CEO of Appalachian Community Capital (ACC), has announced plans to retire at the end of 2025. Ms. Gambrell has served as ACC’s President and CEO since May 2017.

In 2013, the Appalachian Regional Commission made a lead investment in ACC of $3.45 million in equity and operating support. In ACC’s start-up phase, the organization raised $12 million in investments.  Under her leadership, ACC–a CDFI wholesale intermediary–has grown from a start-up to a high-performing, mission-driven financial institution. Its membership has expanded from 12 to 41 community lenders, which now includes regional and national CDFI members. The members, whose assets under management total $3.5 billion, have used ACC capital to finance small businesses, renewable energy projects, manufacturing sites, elder care facilities, restaurants, and ecotourism, among other projects.

$240M in Requests Received for Game-Changing Investment in Rural America

February 2025

Goldman Sachs Invests in Appalachian Community Capital and Regional Small Businesses

[December 13, 2024 ]  Today Goldman Sachs announced that, through a partnership with Appalachian Community Capital, it has committed $5 million in lending capital to CDFIs driving small business growth and economic opportunities in underserved communities in Appalachia. This commitment will include $1 million in lending capital directly to Partner Community Capital,  a CDFI member based in West Virginia that is serving small businesses in the state.
The announcement was made in Charleston where a graduation ceremony was held for West Virginia small business owners who had successfully completed Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Small Business Program, part of the bank’s $100 million investment in rural communities.

December 2024

Appalachian Community Capital Names Daniel Wallace as President and CEO of Green Bank for Rural America

Christiansburg, VA — Appalachian Community Capital (ACC) proudly announces Daniel Wallace as the new Chief Executive Officer to lead the Green Bank for Rural America (Green Bank). ACC started the Green Bank to provide public and private capital that enables rural areas to gain the most benefit from the new energy economy. Beginning with a $500 million award, the Green Bank is set to drive new

November 2024

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