Civic Engagement and Community Wealth Building

"Civic Engagement and..." is a lecture series featuring Rhode Islanders who use their time and talent to create space for all of us to engage civically in unique ways.

This panel discussion will be centered around community wealth building, including decreasing the wealth gap and creating opportunities for communities and people of color to build generational wealth.

The panel will feature:

• Jessica David, Co-Founder and President of Local Return
• Glynn Lloyd, Executive Director of Mill City Community Investment (MCCI)
• Al Cumplido, Co-CIO of AMP Consulting

Civic Engagement and Community Wealth Building will take place on Wednesday, October 9, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Location: The State Library is located on the second floor of the State House, directly above the Smith Street entrance of the Rhode Island State House (Room 208, 82 Smith Street, Providence).

Learn more about our panelists:

Jessica David

Jessica David has 20 years working at the intersection of people and place. She is a Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School (expected May 2026), where she is studying the intersection of spirituality and money.

Jessica is the founding president of Local Return, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building community wealth through ownership and investment in Rhode Island neighborhoods that have experienced historical disinvestment. She is the co-founder and President & CEO of the Rhode Island Community Investment Cooperative, home to the state’s first-ever community investment fund. As founder and principal of Good Worth Working For, a community consultancy, Jessica supports organizations and leaders on strategy and change processes, program design, large and small convenings, and culture-building.

Previously, Jessica served as Executive Vice President of Strategy & Community Investments at the Rhode Island Foundation. She spent several years early in her career working on homelessness, affordable housing, and community development.

Jessica holds an MBA from Bryant University and a BA in political science from American University. She serves on the boards of the Cranston Public Library Association, Common Cause of Rhode Island, the Library Board of Rhode Island, the Providence Cultural Equity Initiative, Providence Public Library, Teatro ECAS, and Tides Family Services. Jessica delights in human connections, local places, her puppies Odysseus and Moxie Mae, and Bruce Springsteen.

Glynn Lloyd

Glynn Lloyd has been an innovator in the field of transformative urban economic development for over 30 years. He is the founder of City Fresh Foods, a nationally-renowned food service business, and over 20 years grew it on average 15% annually to an 8-figure revenue. He is also a founder of the Urban Farming institute (UFI), a community-led nonprofit supporting the development of the urban farming industry in Massachusetts and helped establish the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA), a coalition of Black business, community, religious and labor leaders working together to improve economic indicators in the Black community. In 2023, Glynn was appointed to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Economic Development Planning Council. This council was tasked with crafting a strategic plan to guide the state's economic development policy for the next four years.

Currently, he is the Executive Director of Mill Cities Community Investments (MCCI). MCCI is a community development financial institution (CDFI) and the first Black-led CDFI in Massachusetts (www.mccinvest.org). Glynn is also the founding Executive Director of the Foundation for Business Equity (FBE). The Foundation’s award-winning initiative, the Business Equity Initiative (BEI), is executing a unique approach to scaling up local Black and Latino enterprises (www.fbequity.org).

FBE merged with MCCI in 2022. By combining resources, MCCI and FBE are strengthening their reach to make broader impacts in addressing the wealth gap throughout the region. As part of the merger, Glynn Lloyd is leading the combined entity as Executive Director.

Glynn resides in Roxbury, MA with his wife, Sara, and two daughters, Grace and Ayana.

Al Cumplido

Al Cumplido, CFA is the founder of AMP Consulting Group, an Outsourced CIO practice that provides market research, commentary, and portfolio management services to independent financial advisors across New England.

Al was previously the Director of Investment Strategy for Independence Financial Partners, a comprehensive wealth management firm based in Rhode Island that’s been serving the needs of their clients for over 100 years. Al also serves on The Rhode Island State Investment Commission, where he helps oversee the assets of the Rhode Island pension system for the benefit of state employees.

Al is also an active member of RI’s financial empowerment community. As a past President of CFA Society Providence, he leads their financial literacy initiatives throughout the state and is a board member for Junior Achievement RI, a non-profit organization focused on inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Al has also taught as an Adjunct Professor of Finance at Providence College.

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