In boardrooms where multimillion-dollar deals are debated and spreadsheets shape the future of neighborhoods, Stephen Westbrooks is often the one asking a different question: Who gets access?
Westbrooks is executive director of IFF’s Southern Region, part of a nonprofit Community Development Financial Institution that provides loans and financial consulting to nonprofits, schools and community organizations. His role involves overseeing lending decisions, guiding investment strategy and advising organizations navigating complex real estate and development challenges across Missouri, Southern Illinois and Kansas.
In St. Louis, that work frequently means structuring loans and helping early childhood centers, fresh food providers and human service organizations secure the capital needed to grow.
Westbrooks’ career has centered on using financial systems to expand opportunity. Colleagues say his ability to bridge technical finance and community priorities has made him a trusted voice in rooms where investment decisions are made.
“One of my most meaningful contributions in St. Louis is helping remove barriers to capital for community leaders who are already doing transformative work,” he said. “When capital flows to great leaders, it accelerates impact in neighborhoods and strengthens the social infrastructure that communities rely on every day.”
That philosophy is reflected in projects Westbrooks points to, including Urban Sprouts Early Childhood Education Center. Over the past decade, IFF partnered with Executive Director Ellicia Lanier to support the center’s growth into what is widely regarded as one of the nation’s highest-quality early childhood programs.
“Urban Sprouts stands out as an exemplar of why this work matters,” Westbrooks said. “When capital meets leadership and vision, the ripple effects for children, families and educators are profound.”
Emmet Pierson Jr., president and CEO of Community Builders of Kansas City, said Westbrooks’ background allows him to translate the mechanics of tax credits and underwriting into practical development strategies.
“Stephen’s unique background helps nonprofit developers understand the economic drivers for capital from a banking underwriter’s perspective through a community lens,” Pierson said. “The financial bottom line is not the only measure of success for Stephen.”
Before joining IFF in 2016, Westbrooks underwrote Low-Income Housing Tax Credit transactions and helped lead a New Markets Tax Credit program — experience that grounded him in the complexities of community finance.
“Many communities face barriers that are often invisible in traditional finance,” he said, citing appraisal gaps as one example. “Removing a barrier didn’t introduce risk — it revealed opportunity.”
That approach has shaped IFF’s work with organizations facing structural financing hurdles. When St. Mary’s High School sought to purchase its longtime building after separating from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, the newly independent nonprofit lacked both credit history and immediate capital. IFF structured a loan that allowed the school to acquire the property, stabilizing its future at a critical moment.
Westbrooks describes such transactions as emblematic of mission-driven lending.
“We’re not just evaluating numbers,” he said. “We’re evaluating community impact, leadership and long-term viability.”
His work has also intersected with broader regional initiatives. As conversations surrounding the Brickline Greenway raised concerns about displacement in historically disinvested neighborhoods, Westbrooks emphasized the importance of patient capital and community governance structures that allow residents to participate in redevelopment rather than be pushed aside.
“The stakes are much higher than a typical infrastructure project,” he said during a public panel discussion. “This is about who benefits from investment.”
Westbrooks’ path into community development finance began with curiosity. As a college student during the dot-com era, he studied economics to better understand how wealth was created. Over time, he became equally interested in who was excluded.
“I began to see that the benefits of economic growth were not evenly distributed,” he said. “Many people lacked access to the levers that create wealth.”
After moving to New York City in 2010, he discovered the Community Development Financial Institution industry, a turning point that reframed his career.
“I realized the financial skills I had developed could be applied in a way that was both sophisticated and deeply meaningful,” he said. “Finance could be a powerful tool for advancing community aspirations.”
In addition to his leadership role at IFF, Westbrooks serves on the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ Community Development Advisory Council and has held leadership positions with Habitat for Humanity St. Louis and Tower Grove Park organizations.
“I feel a responsibility to bring honesty and lived perspective into spaces where decisions about capital and development are being made,” he said. “Progress requires not only resources, but imagination.”
Pierson said representation and financial decision-making power matter.
“So few African Americans can say ‘Yes’ and then deliver the check,” he said. “To move a community forward, it takes someone of and from the community to create economic opportunities with financial support to build thriving, not just surviving, communities.”
Stepping into executive leadership marked Westbrooks’ most challenging and rewarding professional transition. After years focused on individual transactions, he became responsible for shaping strategy and supporting the success of others.
“There was uncertainty in that transition,” he said. “But choosing to move forward anyway became a defining growth experience.”
In a city still working to close racial wealth gaps and strengthen its social infrastructure, much of Westbrooks’ influence unfolds outside public view. There are no ribbon cuttings for removing appraisal barriers, nor headlines for restructuring loans or assembling patient capital.
Yet across St. Louis — in classrooms, developments and expanding community institutions — the results are visible.