HOPE Executive Leadership Appointments Announced
Cassandra Williams named President of Hope Credit Union
Ed Sivak named President of Hope Enterprise Corporation
JACKSON, Miss., April 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation / Hope Credit Union) has announced the appointment of Cassandra Williams as President of Hope Credit Union and Ed Sivak as President of Hope Enterprise Corporation. Williams and Sivak's appointments follow one of the most impactful years in HOPE's history. Bill Bynum will continue to serve as HOPE's Chief Executive Officer.
In 2024, HOPE deployed more than $210 million to finance community development across the Deep South, exceeding its previous high mark by $40 million. As a result, Hope Credit Union led the nation in the rate of loan growth among its peer group of credit unions with assets between $500 million and $1 billion. HOPE's net worth ratio ranked third nationally, an indicator of strong financial stability.
"These leadership appointments build on three decades of working to catalyze a thriving economic ecosystem in the Deep South that advances prosperity for families, communities and everyday people," said Bill Bynum, HOPE CEO. "Over the past twenty years, Cassandra's and Ed's expertise, experience, and vision helped forge HOPE into a widely respected leader in driving investments that improve lives across the Deep South, and are uniquely equipped to lead the organization into our next era of impact."
As President of Hope Credit Union, Williams will oversee HOPE's retail, mortgage, commercial and community and economic development operations. Williams joined HOPE in 1999 as a commercial loan officer in the Mississippi Delta. Since then, she has served in several key roles, stewarding HOPE's entry into Memphis, ultimately becoming regional administrator for HOPE's largest retail market. Most recently, as Chief Lending Officer, Williams provided executive guidance for commercial, small business and community facilities lending, and New Markets Tax Credits financing, leading HOPE to the highest levels of production and impact in the organization's history.
A native of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Williams has represented HOPE on several boards and committees, including the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development Program and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Community Advisory Committee. She holds a Master's in Business Administration from Delta State University.
"In 2024, HOPE launched an ambitious strategy to increase the rates of Deep South banking access, homeownership and business ownership to national levels," said Williams. "With that plan as our roadmap, I look forward to ensuring that people throughout the Deep South, particularly those on the margins, have the resources needed to realize their potential."
In his role as President of Hope Enterprise Corporation, Sivak will lead teams responsible for investor relations, human assets, communications, advocacy and corporate administration. Sivak joined HOPE in 2001, after serving as a summer intern. In his early years, Sivak provided project management for several important initiatives, including a collaborative that generated $125 million for community development in the Delta, and another project that supported post-hurricane Katrina business recovery in New Orleans.
Sivak organized the Hope Policy Institute, reinforcing HOPE's ability to extract data from its programs to influence policies and practices that affect Deep South residents. In addition to representing HOPE on local, state and federal policy matters, Ed serves on the board of Inclusiv (the national network of Community Development Credit Unions) and is president of the Jackson Public School Board. A former member of the Federal Reserve Board Consumer Advisory Council, Ed holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Jackson State University and a Master's in Public Policy from Georgetown University.
"Throughout its history, HOPE has achieved its greatest impact when it collaborated with private industry, philanthropy and nonprofit organizations, helping our neighbors navigate the most difficult of circumstances," said Ed Sivak, President of the Hope Enterprise Corporation. "I look forward to serving in this new role and continuing HOPE's legacy of importing resources into the region's communities most in need, ensuring all people have the opportunity to thrive."
About HOPE
HOPE (Hope Enterprise Corporation, Hope Credit Union and Hope Policy Institute) provides financial services; leverages resources; and engages in advocacy that strengthens the financial health of people in under-resourced Deep South communities. Since 1994, these efforts have benefited more than three million people in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee, and influenced billions in investments in persistent poverty communities nationwide. Learn more at www.hopecu.org
Media Contact:
Holly Cooper, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications
Holly.Cooper@hopecu.org
(601) 760-7998
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SOURCE Hope Enterprise Corporation