Renee Simms

Renee T. Simms is Vice President, Capital Access for BankBoston Development Corporation (BBDC), a FleetBoston Financial Company. BBDC is the nation's first urban investment bank and a nationally recognized model for innovative investments, which provides mezzanine-financing opportunities to historically underserved market segments.

Simms is also responsible for developing strategic partnerships to expand access to capital for women and minority owned businesses. Simms has created an innovative program with IBM—Partners in Technology—to provide women-owned businesses with equal access to financing and technology informational developed a key partnership with a women's venture capital fund; created a multi-bank Microenterprise loan pool and established a $100 Million financing initiative to expand access capital for women-owned businesses.

Prior to this assignment, Simms was a member of the management team that launched the Women Entrepreneurs' Connection, a highly visible initiative for women-owned businesses. Her experience includes over ten years of Commercial Lending and Specialized Marketing in small business market segments.

She has been a speaker and presenter on developing innovative strategies for new markets at several national industry conferences, including the American Banker's Fourth Annual Small Business Banking Conference, 1999 ABA national Community Development Conference, Women's Economic Summit '98 and the Consumer Bankers Association 10th Annual Conference.

Simms has been recognized as one of the Nation's Top Business and Professional Women by Dollars and Sense Magazine; as Lender of the Year, BankBoston First Community Bank and as one of the 100 Influential Individuals within Boston's Economic Development and Minority Business Community, Greater Roxbury Chamber of Commerce. She is active within many local and national organizations dedicated to equal economic access within diverse communities.