OZ MAGAZINE 2022 Top 25 Influencers issue 2.2 | Page 47

TOP 25 POLICY INFLUENCERS
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MARÍA SALAZAR

U . S . REPRESENTATIVE ( R-FL )

Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar represents Florida ’ s 27th Congressional District , passionately serving the people of South Florida . She currently serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs as well as the House Committee on Small Business . Congresswoman Salazar is committed to acting tirelessly in defense of individual rights and liberties , spearheading economic development and job training efforts , and promoting environmental resiliency in her community . Well-known for her advocacy for human rights and democracy around the world , she is also a five-time Emmy Award-winning journalist . Salazar holds a bachelor ’ s degree in communications from the University of Miami and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University ' s John F . Kennedy School of Government .

WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE CHANGED WITH THE OZ LEGISLATION TO FURTHER IMPROVE THE INDUSTRY ?
Opportunity Zones have proven to be a game-changer for Americans , and we should constantly be improving them to increase economic opportunity across the country . By putting an emphasis on disadvantaged small businesses , OZs could expand investment opportunities to more than real estate companies , supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs within their own communities . We also need to make sure that tax policy continues to generate investor appetite and guarantees Opportunity Zone investment as the safest and best option for investors . Finally , expanding OZ maps would provide more investment opportunities for communities in need .

FRAN SEEGULL

PRESIDENT , U . S . IMPACT INVESTING ALLIANCE

Fran Seegull is President of the U . S . Impact Investing Alliance , which works to increase awareness of impact investing and foster deployment of impact capital across asset classes globally . Seegull also serves as Executive Director of the Tipping Point Fund on Impact Investing . Previously , she was the Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director at ImpactAssets , leading investment management for The Giving Fund . Seegull has a bachelor ’ s degree in economics from Barnard College at Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard University . She serves on the Align Impact Investment Committee and the advisory boards of SOCAP and CASE i3 Initiative at Duke .

WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE CHANGED WITH THE OZ LEGISLATION TO FURTHER IMPROVE THE INDUSTRY ?
Transparency and accountability are hallmarks of a functioning market – for Opportunity Zones to succeed , Congress must mandate effective reporting standards . Congress always intended for QOFs to report essential information on the size , nature and location of investments , in addition to the impacts of those investments on communities . Adopting reporting standards like those in Sen . Scott ’ s IMPACT Act would shine a spotlight on the program ’ s successes while preventing abuse . And Congress should go further still , creating additional incentives for QOFs that go above and beyond by voluntarily engaging communities to set investment priorities and ensure residents benefit from OZ activity .
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