Our History and Our People

The Investment Team

Kristen Harol, President

Kristen Harol joined The Life Initiative in 2008, and became President in 2018. In her prior role as Deputy Director of Lawrence CommunityWorks, Ms. Harol was integral to building a nationally recognized community development corporation known for the development of innovative affordable housing, community and recreational space, community organizing, and family asset building. Ms. Harol serves on a number of boards including the Mill Cities Community Investments CDFI, and The Lawrence Redevelopment Authority. She holds a master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chicago.

Mollye Lockwood, Senior Vice President

mlockwood@masscapital.com
617-536-3905

Mollye Lockwood joined the Life Initiative in 2017. Prior to joining TLI, Ms. Lockwood was Vice President of Real Estate and Community Development for W.D. Cowls, the largest private property owner in Massachusetts, headquartered in North Amherst, MA where her priority was redeveloping North Amherst’s Mill District into a thriving downtown center including mixed income housing and new commercial development. Prior to W.D. Cowls, Ms. Lockwood was Deputy Director of the Women’s Institute for Housing and Economic Development, a regional affordable housing developer based in Boston and Hartford developing service enriched and high impact affordable housing. Ms. Lockwood has served on numerous boards including the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce and Pelham Housing Committee. Ms. Lockwood earned an MS in Real Estate Development and a Master in City Planning from MIT in 1999 and has over 20 years of experience in the real estate and community development fields having served in leadership positions for municipal, non-profit and for-private organizations in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Colorado.

Brandon Braxton, Vice President

bbraxton@masscapital.com
617-450-9634

Brandon Braxton is a Banking & Economic Development professional with over twenty years of experience in the areas of Community Development Finance, Business Banking, Commercial Lending. Prior to joining The Life Initiative team, Mr. Braxton was most recently at MassDevelopment as Vice President of Lending for Western Massachusetts. Mr. Braxton also spent more than 15 years in commercial banking industry throughout MA, CT, and NY. Mr. Braxton has focused on the creative structuring of projects to meet goals of both the lender and client. He was the past chair of the Board of Director for the Food Bank of Western MA being involved with the organization for more than 10 years. Mr. Braxton has also served on the board for the YMCA of Greater Springfield and past Board chair of Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity. Mr. Braxton is an avid golfer. Originally from Buffalo, NY, Brandon is an Amherst College alum with a degree in Philosophy.

Laura Rijo Florimon, Portfolio Manager

lrijo@masscapital.com
617.236.6230

Laura Rijo Florimon joined The Life Initiative in 2022 as the company’s first Loan Portfolio Manager. She is a lending and financial services professional with over eight years’ experience in diverse roles and organizations within the industry. She served as the Director of Loan Servicing for Capital Good Fund, a multi-state Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) based in Providence, RI in the service of communities underserved by Main Street lending and financial services providers. During this time of pivotal growth and business expansions, she helped the organization grow the size of the portfolio while building and implementing sound underwriting, loan servicing, risk and portfolio management operations. She enjoys working with diverse communities and teams in mission driven organizations that allow for a strategic and creative approach to meet present and future needs to build a more equitable society and produce measurable community benefits. Laura holds a B.S. in Hospitality and Hotel Management from Johnson & Wales University, and a Master of Business Administration from Western Governors University.

The Finance and Administration Team

Cynthia Tanner, CFO

ctanner@masscapital.com
617-536-3904

As Chief Financial Officer for The Life Initiative, Ms. Tanner is responsible for all finance related functions that include accounting, technology & business systems, human resources and asset & risk management. Ms. Tanner has over thirty years of experience centered on creating collaborative environments combining technology with people-driven solutions. Prior to joining TLI in September of 2020, Ms Tanner was a Managing Director for Fortitude Advisory Services. She also served as Chief Financial Officer for the WinnCompanies and Bozzuto Management Company. She holds undergraduate and masters degrees from the University of Baltimore and is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Eric Buskirk, Director of Finance & Investment Accounting

ebuskirk@masscapital.com
617-536-6228

Eric Buskirk has been with The Life Initiative since 2012. He is responsible for the day-to-day financial momentum in implementing financial and accounting policies, practices and procedures. He oversees accounting operations in reporting, general ledger management, payroll processing and system integrations. He directly collaborates with internal investment teams and external business partners. Prior to joining TLI, Eric served as a Financial Analyst for Digitas, Inc. He began his career at Putnam Investments where he was a Corporate Accountant. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from Penn State University and is also a Certified Management Accountant.

Cara DeVito, Office Manager

cdevito@masscapital.com
617-536-6212

Cara DeVito joined The Life Initiative in 2015 as Office Manager. She is responsible for the daily operations of the office, supporting the Investment Team and the Investment Committee, as well as managing a wide variety of administrative duties. She enjoys the challenges of utilizing her organizational effectiveness to support an office of diverse people. Before working for The Life Initiative, Ms. DeVito worked as a sales account manager for a technologies company, and prior to that was a global account manager in the garment manufacturing industry.