MEDIA KIT & PROMOTIONAL GUIDELINES

Chief Executive Officer

Ines Polonius

Ines Polonius, Chief Executive Officer of Communities Unlimited, joined the organization in 2014 and works out of the Fayetteville, Arkansas, office.

She has been active in national and international economic development for over 30 years. She has dedicated her career to accelerating community economic development in persistently poor, rural places in the South. She leads Communities Unlimited, a CDFI dedicated to moving rural and under-resourced communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Alabama toward prosperity.

She received a Master of Business Administration degree and a Master of Economics degree from Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts, and a certificate in Public and Not-for-Profit Management. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. 

Director of Community Sustainability

Martha Claire Bullen

Martha Clare Bullen started Communities Unlimited (CU) in August 2021 as the Director of Community Sustainability. In her role, Martha Claire evaluates and selects communties for long term engagement. She identifies partners and resources within CU and externally to support the work in the communities. She develops and manages a program budget for the team. She leads a team of ten employees and guides them with resources to assist CU’s communities. 

Martha Claire has a strong history of working with communities. She is skilled in strategic planning, relationship building, public speaking, and research. Martha Claire has a Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and Administration from Mississippi College and is the previous Community Development Director for the Foundation for the Mid-South.

Director of Entrepreneurship

Cynthia Terry

Cynthia Terry, Director of Entrepreneurship, has managed Tennessee entrepreneurship programs for Communities Unlimited since June 2004.

Her work includes management consulting with business clients and managing the entrepreneurship team. They serve small business owners onsite and virtually in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas. She also leads the development of new partner relationships, programs responsive to entrepreneur and local community needs (e.g. MEMShops) , and funding development.

Cynthia is an entrepreneur herself, having started her own successful business. She has a master’s in business administration and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Memphis in Tennessee.

Environmental Services Director

Karen Conrad

Karen Conrad is the Environmental Services Director. Prior to becoming the Environmental Services Director Karen was the Central Regional Area Director for Environmental Services in Miami, Oklahoma and began at Communities Unlimited (CU) in 2007 as an Operations Management Specialist. She was promoted to Oklahoma Coordinator in 2017. She has worked with community environmental management systems for more than 37 years. She has been a Certified Water and Wastewater Operator in Oklahoma and Missouri since 1980.

Karen received a Master of Business Administration degree from Pittsburg State University in 1999 and a bachelor’s degree from Missouri Southern State University in 1993. She also attended the Water and Wastewater Technical School in Neosho, Missouri, and graduated with high honors in 1980.  

Director of Lending

Michael Rivera

Michael Rivera started Communities Unlimited (CU) as a Director of Nuestra Casa in April 2022. In January 2024, he was promoted to the Director of Lending. Michael provides leadership to a team of 7 employees. He handles the management of the loan process as well as Communities Unlimited’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) program. The CDFI Program includes small business, consumer, and commercial portfolios with assets of $17 million.

Michael has a 15-year background in banking and finance. During his time as Director of Nuestra Casa, he led the Nuestra Casa program that offered small-dollar loans to people in the Colonias for home improvement projects.

He has an Associates of Arts Degree in Business Management and Marketing from Athens Technical College.

Area Director Broadband

Catherine Krantz

Catherine Krantz started working at Communities Unlimited (CU) in November 2022. She is the Area Director for Broadband. Catherine manages the implementation of broadband strategy by developing and submitting grant proposals to ensure equitable accessibility to infrastructure and funding for disadvantaged families in rural communities throughout CU’s footprint. Before coming to CU, Catherine worked as a Broadband Solutions Manager for Connected Nation. Catherine has a B.A. in Liberal Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and a M.P.A Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington.  

Area Director of Rural Housing

Audra Butler

Audra Butler started Communities Unlimited (CU) in 2022 as the Rural Housing Area Director. Audra has more than a decade in subsidized and affordable housing leadership and homeless advocacy. Over the last 10 years, Audra has worked with nonprofits and organizations focused on creating pathways out of poverty. As the Rural Housing Area Director for Communities Unlimited, Audra develops a rural housing strategy and offers a modular housing manufacturing program. Audra works in communities to help community members better understand housing and what their community needs.

Audra formerly served as the Interim Director and Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Fayetteville Housing Authority. While there, Audra led the organization through leadership transitions and organizational restructuring, stabilizing operations and allowing the team of housing professionals to continue providing services to thousands of Arkansans in Northwest Arkansas. Audra also served as the Chief Operations Officer for Community Programs at ARVAC, a community action agency in central Arkansas, directing operations in 9 counties and expanding the organizations homeless services and transitional living program.

Audra lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas and works out of Communities Unlimited’s Fayetteville office.