Val Benson

Val Benson oversees the Center for Impact Finance’s research portfolio and the CDFI Research Consortium. Prior to joining the Center, Val founded Benson Consulting, where she worked closely with organizations and funders to carry out learning and evaluation initiatives on issues related to housing, community development, and sustainability. Val previously served as Principal Associate and Director of Income Security and Economic Mobility at MEF Associates and led data collection and analysis tasks for several large-scale federal evaluation projects at Abt Associates. She also worked at NeighborWorks America where she managed grantee compliance and quality assurance for the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling program. Val holds a Master of Policy Sciences from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Policy Studies from The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.