Warren Central alumna Dr. Kim Carter Evans named president of New York-based TruFund Financial Services

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) —From the halls of Warren Central High School to the executive leadership of a New York-based financial institution, Dr. Kim Carter Evans has built a career centered on expanding economic opportunity, strengthening communities and helping entrepreneurs gain access to capital.

TruFund Financial Services, Inc., a mission-driven Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) headquartered in New York, has announced the appointment of Dr. Kim Carter Evans as President.

A graduate of Warren Central High School’s Class of 1995, Dr. Evans’ appointment represents a significant milestone in a professional journey with deep Mississippi roots and a national footprint spanning economic development, entrepreneurship, community development finance, organizational strategy and access to capital.

The enhanced leadership structure reflects TruFund’s commitment to preparing for future growth, strengthening institutional capacity and ensuring long-term leadership continuity as the organization advances its mission and pursues strategic growth opportunities.

James H. Bason will continue serving as Chief Executive Officer, providing executive leadership and strategic oversight while working closely with Dr. Evans to advance TruFund’s mission and long-term direction.

“The Board’s decision reflects both our confidence in Dr. Evans’ leadership and our commitment to ensuring TruFund has the leadership capacity necessary for the opportunities ahead,” said Terrence Clark, Chair of the TruFund Financial Services Board of Directors.

“Dr. Evans understands this institution, our markets and the communities we serve. She combines strategic vision with the ability to execute, build relationships and strengthen organizations. We believe her appointment positions TruFund to build upon its strong foundation while preparing for its next chapter.”

As President, Dr. Evans will provide day-to-day enterprise-wide leadership and oversight across TruFund’s operations, programs and strategic priorities, working closely with Chief Executive Officer James H. Bason and the Board of Directors.

She will be responsible for advancing organizational strategies, enhancing operational and financial performance, supporting capital formation and investor relations, expanding product and market opportunities and driving key strategic initiatives that advance TruFund’s mission and long-term objectives.

“Meaningful and continuous growth requires both vision and the organizational capacity to execute that vision,” said James H. Bason, Chief Executive Officer.

“Dr. Evans has played a pivotal role in helping build that capacity while strengthening the foundation for our future. Her appointment enhances our readiness to meet emerging opportunities and challenges, positioning the organization for continued growth, greater impact and long-term sustainability in the years ahead.”

For Dr. Evans, the appointment also brings into focus a journey that began in the South.

A third-generation entrepreneur with Mississippi and Louisiana roots, Dr. Evans’ connection to entrepreneurship and economic development began long before her career in community development finance.

Her formative years in Mississippi, including her time at Warren Central High School, became part of the foundation for a career that would eventually take her from the South to leadership on a national stage.

Her career has included public-sector economic development at the federal, state and local levels, business and entrepreneurial development, and community development finance.

She has worked with initiatives connected to the U.S. Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of capital, entrepreneurship and community economic development.

Dr. Evans’ relationship with TruFund began more than 15 years ago through the organization’s work in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, during a period when small-business owners and communities throughout the Gulf Coast were rebuilding businesses, neighborhoods and local economies.

Since then, she has contributed to raising more than $65 million in resources to support TruFund’s work, market expansion and the development of signature programs and product lines.

Most recently serving as TruFund’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Evans has helped lead enterprise operations, organizational strategy, market development and strategic partnerships.

“I am deeply grateful to the Board for its confidence and to Mr. Bason for his leadership and partnership,” said Dr. Evans, President of TruFund Financial Services.

“I understand that this appointment is not simply about a title. It is about stewardship. It is about protecting what has been built, strengthening the institution we have today and preparing TruFund for what comes next.”

For Evans, that sense of stewardship is also connected to where her journey began.

“There is something particularly meaningful about being able to look back at the young woman who walked the halls of Warren Central High School and recognize just how far that journey has taken me,” Evans said.

“Mississippi is part of my story. The lessons, relationships and experiences I carried with me from those years helped shape how I think about opportunity, community and what becomes possible when people are given access to the resources they need to succeed.”

“Our communities need strong institutions capable of understanding their markets, building the right partnerships and connecting capital with opportunity. My commitment is to help ensure TruFund remains financially strong, operationally disciplined, innovative and deeply connected to the entrepreneurs and communities we exist to serve. This next chapter is not about any one leader. It is about the institution we continue to build together.”

TruFund operates across New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Texas, providing financing, technical assistance and community development solutions designed to meet the needs of entrepreneurs and communities.

The organization’s work includes small-business lending, commercial and community real estate finance, contractor and supplier financing, and New Markets Tax Credits through its subsidiary Empowerment Reinvestment Fund, and investment activities through TruCapital Investments | Impact Developers Fund.

As the community development finance landscape continues to evolve, TruFund’s expanded leadership capacity will support the organization’s focus on financial sustainability, responsible growth, innovation, strategic partnerships and deeper impact across the communities it serves.

“The opportunity before us is bigger than an organizational chart,” Dr. Evans said. “It is about building an institution capable of serving communities today while preparing for the economic realities of tomorrow. That is the TruFund we are continuing to build.”

About Dr. Kim Carter Evans

Dr. Kim Carter Evans is President of TruFund Financial Services, Inc. and a member of Warren Central High School’s Class of 1995.

A third-generation entrepreneur and economic development executive, she has more than two decades of experience spanning community development finance, economic development, entrepreneurship, organizational strategy and access to capital.

Her career has included work across federal, state and local government, nonprofit and private-sector environments, with a longstanding focus on creating economic opportunity for entrepreneurs and communities.

About TruFund Financial Services, Inc.

TruFund Financial Services, Inc. is a mission-driven Community Development Financial Institution dedicated to promoting economic development and expanding access to responsible capital for small businesses and communities that have historically experienced barriers to conventional financing.

Through lending, technical assistance, strategic partnerships and community development finance solutions, TruFund works to strengthen businesses, create economic opportunities and support resilient communities.