CEI promotes longtime employee to chief lending and investment officer

Photo / Courtesy Justine Johnson Photography Kelsie Bouchard, who joined CEI in 2019, will lead a team of 14 to deploy capital to Maine’s small business community and oversee the management of CEI’s loan and investment portfolio.

Write a Comment

By Alexis Wells

Coastal Enterprises Inc., a Brunswick-based community development financial institution, has promoted Kelsie Bouchard to chief lending and investment officer.

In her new role, Bouchard will lead a team of 14 to deploy capital to Maine’s small business community and oversee the management of CEI’s loan and investment portfolio, which has grown to a record $78 million.

“This work is personal to me — I was born and raised in rural Maine and care deeply about expanding access to capital and opportunity across the state," Bouchard told Mainebiz. "I feel lucky to live here, and I want all Mainers to have the chance to build strong, stable livelihoods in the place we are fortunate to call home. I am proud to lead CEI’s lending and investment work and excited to build on our impact in communities across Maine.”

Bouchard joined CEI in 2019, focusing on loan underwriting, portfolio management and analysis. Most recently, she served in the role of director of CEI notes and portfolio management.

Since 2023, she has managed the lending operations team and led fundraising and operations of CEI Notes, a fixed-income investment product available to accredited mission-aligned investors.

Prior to joining CEI, she worked in risk management at Morgan Stanley in New York City, focusing primarily on counterparty, operational and new product risk in the equity derivative and secured financing businesses.

The South Portland resident received her bachelor's degree in policy studies and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises from Syracuse University.