BlueHub Capital has hired Brenda Loya as the company’s first chief operating officer.

In her new role, Loya will join the nonprofit’s senior leadership team and help expand its lending and community development efforts. 

She will be involved with several of BlueHubs initiatives including its citizenship financing program One Percent for America and BlueHub Energy, which helps increase the accessibility of renewable energy resources. 

“Brenda’s passion for mission-driven work and her outstanding experience in the CDFI world make her an excellent fit to lead the operations of our organization, and I am confident that she will help propel us into our next chapter,” said BlueHub Capital’s CEO Elyse Cherry. “As BlueHub continues to build on its nearly 40 years of experience lending in low-income communities, we are excited to work with Brenda to drive planning and strategy while enhancing efficiency.” 

Loyua was previously the national director of community development and finance and commercial banking at Amalgamated Bank.

A child of immigrants from rural Mexico, Loya grew up in El Paso, Texas, before joining her brothers as the first in their family to attend college. She’s an MIT graduate with a bachelor of science in computer science and went on to earn her MBA from Georgetown University. 

Loya lives in Brooklyn, New York, and will be splitting her time between Brooklyn and BlueHub’s Boston headquarters.