Susan Thomas

A smiling individual with glasses wearing a black top stands in front of a windowed background with blue elements visible outside.

Susan has spent her career lending and investing to support thriving communities that promote the long-term economic mobility of residents. As President of the Fifth Third Community Development Corporation (CDC), Susan leads the Bank’s efforts to invest equity capital in communities. She and her team are committed to working with partners across the Bank’s footprint to help bring affordable housing and positive neighborhood transformation to communities.

Based in the Corporate Responsibility Office, the CDC invests in low-income housing, new markets, and historic tax credit investments that support community revitalization efforts and the creation and preservation of affordable housing within the Fifth Third footprint. It also makes investments to and strategically partners with Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), and various investment funds focused on providing capital and services to under-financed individuals, companies, and communities.

Susan joined Fifth Third from the development authority in Cincinnati (The Port) where she served as Executive Vice President. In this role, Susan promoted economic and community development in the City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio. A public finance expert, she issued over $500 million in bonds for economic development projects and structured three impact investment opportunities to finance the work of the The Port. Susan also played a key role in the establishment of the county land bank where she developed and directed programs to address abandoned, foreclosed, and underutilized properties.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Thomas was a Vice President in the Global Capital Markets Group at Morgan Stanley in New York. She began her career as an aide to the Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, where she focused on transportation, regional cooperation, business retention and homeownership financing.

Ms. Thomas holds a BA with honors in Public Policy from Stanford University and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

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