A Conversation with the Women of SFNet’s Management and Executive Committees
THE SECURED LENDER | APRIL 2022 | VOL.78 ISSUE 3 | Excerpt below | Download the entire issue here
Betty Hernandez is chair of SFNet’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and executive vice president and chief credit officer and one of the founders of SLR Business Credit. “I oversee the credit quality of the company’s portfolio, ensure that all credit policies and procedures are being adhered to, conduct monthly portfolio review meetings, visit borrowers and am a member of our Credit Committee.” Hernandez also assists the SLR team with legal document negotiations for both existing and prospective borrowers.
She has been deeply involved with SFNet for several years in an array of roles. “I volunteer on several SFNet committees and subcommittees. I am a member of the Women in Secured Finance (WISF) Committee and serve on the WISF Conference planning subcommittee for 2022. I am a member of the 40 Under 40 Selection Committee. I am also the first chair of the SFNet Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEI). The challenge with being the first leader of DEI is a mix of enthusiasm, skepticism and even cynicism of its mission, strategy and goals. It’s hard to change generations of behavior, but we will do that and it will benefit us as an industry and as individual companies,” she said.
The DEI Committee was officially formed in October of 2020. Since then, the Committee has created a mission to build diversity, equality and inclusion within our member companies, industry and community. “The DEI Committee has assembled useful resources on the SFNet website and we have conducted various panel discussions surrounding DEI at many of the conferences and conventions over the last year and a half.” The DEI Committee is currently conducting a first-ever SFNet DEI survey in conjunction with Rutgers University for both company members and employees of members to obtain baseline information on the composition of the workforce and DEI initiatives being undertaken by SFNet member firms.
“As a female Latina in the secured lending industry for over 32 years, I feel it is important to show younger people in our industry that they are not alone and that they too, could sit at the table with the other member directors and executives sitting on the SFNet Executive Committee. We can make a difference and help shape the composition of our industry in years to come.”
