Steven C. Shepelwich is a senior community development advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City – Oklahoma City Office. Steven leads the Branch efforts to promote economic development and fair and impartial access to financial services in Oklahoma’s low- to moderate-income communities and manages the District’s workforce development program areas. In this role, Steven has lead a research and outreach initiative on the District’s unbanked market, organized national conferences on innovations in consumer financial services, asset-based approaches in rural development and workforce development strategies.

Prior to joining the Federal Reserve Bank, Steven worked with national organizations focused on expanding the roles of financial institutions in low-income communities including leading banks and credit unions, microenterprise funds, and affordable housing loan funds throughout the country. Steven began his career by working internationally with microfinance, rural development, and refugee programs in Kenya, Burundi, and India for over six years.

A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Steven holds a B.B.A in Marketing from Texas A&M University and an M.S. in Resource Development from Michigan State University. He is a graduate of the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

TheExternal Link community development function at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City was created in the 1980s primarily to help banks understand their responsibilities under the Community Reinvestment Act. Over the years the bank has expanded its work in the field of community development to meet emerging needs and staff has sought out new opportunities for collaboration to assist low- and moderate-income communities. The community development staff is committed to assisting our stakeholders and the communities we serve respond effectively to challenges through research, relationship building and resource development.