Larry Cretan

Retired bank executive, and consultant for financial institutions and nonprofits, Larry joined the board in 2013 and serves as chair of the Loan Committee. He was born and raised in the Bay Area and has lived there all of his life, other than a year in the Middle East and a  decade of graduate school and non-profit work in Los Angeles. Upon returning to the Bay Area 30 years ago, he began a career in commercial banking, first at Wells Fargo, then at Greater Bay Bank, Tamalpais Bank, Santa Barbara Bank and Trust, and Mechanics Bank.

Larry’s focus has always been on business lending to small and mid-sized companies and non-profits. He has a strong commitment to these Main Street organizations as the fundamental drivers of employment, economic opportunity, and social mobility for Americans of modest or limited financial resources. This is no truer than in the field of sustainable agriculture, which can offer individuals and families an entrée to the wider opportunities of our society. Larry has a BA in History from Stanford, and an MA in History and an MBA from UCLA.

He lives in the redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains in San Mateo County with his wife and is active in the launch of a triple-bottom-line microbrewery in Oakland, Federation Brewing, with his son and business partner. Having served on the loan committee for micro-lending at Opportunity Fund, Larry was enthusiastic to join Farmlink to help expand its micro-lending program for farmers.