Arvest Bank recently announced that Chris Benge, vice president of operations at OSU Institute of Technology, has been named to the advisory board of the Arvest Opportunity Fund. The board was recently created to support the Arvest Opportunity Fund’s mission of providing products, services and financial education opportunities to underbanked communities.

A wholly owned, non-bank subsidiary of Arvest Bank, the Arvest Opportunity Fund was created in 2022 and began offering loans, lines of credit and lending-related financial education to small business customers that fall just below existing bank credit requirements. The programs act as a bridge that allows customers to move from their current state to a position in which they can fully access traditional bank products and services.

The new board is made up of six members across the bank’s fourstate footprint who will serve a three-year term. Other members include:

• Hillis Schild, executive director of the Arvest Opportunity Fund and board chair

• Mary Beth Brooks, director of the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.

• Kate Bulger, vice president, business development, Money Management International • Brennan Crawford, executive director of Community Housing of Wyandotte County in Kansas

• Dr. Algerian Hart, assistant to the President for Inclusive Engagement at Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo.

“We are excited to have such an experienced group of professionals be part of our first advisory board,” said Hillis Schild, executive director of the Arvest Opportunity Fund and board chair. “They have a deep understanding of the challenges the underbanked population faces, and their insight and guidance will be valuable as we continue our mission of helping people reach their full potential through finance and education.”

Since its creation, the Arvest Opportunity Fund has assisted 466 small businesses with $13.7 million in loans. The organization has introduced additional products and services such as the Arvest Homebuyer Advantage program, which was announced last year in partnership with Arvest Bank to provide first-time homebuyers with down payment assistance. In March 2024, the organization launched EmpowerED, a free bilingual mobile- first financial education platform to provide consumers with resources to make informed financial decisions.

For more information, visit arvest.com/opportunity.