Leadership

Crystal German is the President of the Julian Bond Institute for Financial Equity Research, where she leads the institute strategy, communications, and external partnerships. She is a seasoned economic inclusion executive who has dedicated her career to advancing equity through capital access, entrepreneurship, and community-centered strategies.

She currently also serves as Executive Vice President at the Center for Community Self-Help, a national nonprofit community development financial institution based in Durham, North Carolina. In this role, she directs the organization’s marketing and communications, fundraising, mortgage credit, and community engagement teams—leading more than 80 amazing humans and ensuring the alignment of mission and financial strength to advance economic justice at scale.

A proud HBCU alumna, Crystal holds a BS in Business Administration from Florida A&M University and an MBA from UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Areas of Focus

• Strategic Communications
• Housing Finance
• Consumer Protection
• Racial Wealth Equity
• Small Business Credit
• Community Engagement

Dr. Sara Weiss is the Executive Director of the Julian Bond Institute, responsible for the Institute's operations, research partnerships, data and measurement strategy, and publications. She brings extensive experience in financial services policy, community investment, and the design of research programs that connect academic rigor with real-world policy impact. She is a data and measurement strategist and has worked in applied research in university, nonprofit, and government consulting settings. 

Sara's approach to research is captured in her foundational conviction for JBI: that community-engaged research is not a supplementary approach — it is foundational. The people most affected by financial inequity are not just subjects of research; they are essential partners in producing it. That principle shapes JBI's methodology from research design through dissemination.

As Executive Director, Sara oversees JBI's fellowship program, research advisory council, community partnerships, and The Viewpoint — the Institute's video podcast on financial equity.

Areas of Focus

• Research Operations
• Community Investment
• Financial Services Policy
• Partnership Development

Graciela Aponte-Diaz serves as Vice President of Community Engagement at the Julian Bond Institute, where she leads JBI's work to build and sustain relationships with the communities at the center of its research. She brings extensive experience in community organizing, policy advocacy, and engagement strategy — with a particular focus on Latino communities and the intersection of financial access, immigration, and economic mobility.

Graciela has spent her career working to ensure that the voices and lived experiences of underserved communities shape the policies and institutions that govern their financial lives. At JBI, she oversees the Institute's community partnerships, the national storytelling program, and JBI's outreach to community organizations, faith communities, and advocacy groups across the country.

Areas of Focus

• Community Partnerships
• Latino Communities
• Story Gathering Outreach
• Community Organizing
• Immigration & Financial Access