Monica Palmeira

Associate Director of Economic Equity

Read Bio

×

Monica Palmeira

Associate Director of Economic Equity

Monica Palmeira (she/her/hers) was raised in Eastern North Carolina as a first-generation American in a Portuguese family. Her professional background includes ethnographic research, affordable housing advocacy, climate policy, and community engagement. Prior to joining Greenlining, Monica most recently held positions at the California Public Utilities Commission leading environmental justice initiatives, as well as at the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research – Strategic Growth Council where she spearheaded various outreach and technical assistance programs to support communities in accessing climate-related funding programs. She received a B.A. in International Studies and Public Policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. In her free time, Monica loves spending time with her young son, visiting family back in Portugal, and rediscovering her home state.

Policy Staff Transformative Communities

In partnership with Americans for Financial Reform Education Fund, Public Citizen, and 88 undersigned organizations with missions to further financial inclusion, affordable housing, and racial and climate justice, The Greenlining Institute submitted comments to the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) on the joint notice of proposed rulemaking to implement the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).

This thoughtful proposal would provide additional opportunities for investment that communities have been seeking, including opportunities to build climate resiliency, in addition to providing greater clarity and consistency for all stakeholders involved. The agencies should strengthen the regulations to better ensure that communities most impacted by redlining and environmental injustice receive the intended benefits of the CRA. Communities of color should explicitly be prioritized for investment, alongside low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. Additionally, the final rule should further define activities eligible for CRA credit and properly incentivize banks to reduce their contributions to climate risk.

The comment letter can be found here.

Monica Palmeira

Associate Director of Economic Equity

Read Bio