Deborah La Franchi

Deborah La Franchi has a strong background in economic development and private equity. Deborah founded and served as CEO of SDS Capital Group, where they developed innovative market-driven approaches to economic development and built and capitalized over $2 billion of private-equity funds. These funds focused on achieving market rates of return, positive community/social impacts, and environmental sustainability.

Prior to SDS Capital Group, La Franchi was the President and CEO of Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation. In this role, they secured corporate sponsorship donations and helped create over $450 million of investor funding for equity investment funds and a New Market Tax Credit allocation that specifically targeted low-income communities in Los Angeles.

La Franchi also served as the Assistant Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles, responsible for economic policy initiatives such as tax reform, business incentives, and development reform. Deborah was the key mayoral spokesperson for economic policy and led the strategy for the Mayor's Office of Economic Development.

Earlier in their career, La Franchi worked as a Business Development Representative for the Office of the Mayor, LA's Business Team. Deborah assisted with business attraction and retention efforts and pursued policy and development reforms. Deborah played a lead role in a $100 million public/private partnership that led to the development of the GM site in Van Nuys.

Overall, La Franchi has a wealth of experience in various aspects of economic development, private equity, and policy analysis.

Deborah La Franchi pursued their higher education with a following chronological pattern. From 1993 to 1995, they attended Georgetown University, where they earned a Master's in Public Policy (MPP), focusing on the field of Public Policy. Later, they enrolled in UCLA Anderson School of Management for an MBA degree in Business; however, specific start and end years are unavailable. Prior to their MBA, Deborah completed their undergraduate studies at UCLA, majoring in Political Science and History with a minor in Business for their Bachelor's degree (BA).