We continue our series on small business financial literacy with special guests, Strategic Initiatives Director Karen Davis and Loan Officer Maria Peck of Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE). ACE is a nonprofit community lender that specializes in small business loans coupled with business advisory services. They assist tiny start-ups to large businesses and everything in between, by making loans with generous repayment terms and affordable interest rates – resources that can be extremely difficult to access using traditional banks today. So if you are a small business needing the capital to grow and sustain your business, or a larger company wanting to enhance your competitiveness and sustainability – listen in and consider ACE as your financial partner today. 
Karen Davis / Strategic Initiatives Director
Karen Davis currently serves as Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs’ (ACE) Strategic Initiatives Director. In this role, she directs ACE’s Women Investing in Successful Entrepreneurs (WISE) Initiative which is a $2.5 million revolving loan fund specifically for women entrepreneurs wanting to expand or start a business within Metro Atlanta and the North Georgia region. In addition to the loan funds, WISE offers business advisory support through individualized business consultations, business development seminars, speed coaching, and mentoring from high net-worth business owners. Karen is also the Principal Consultant of Curry Davis Consulting Group, LLC. Karen has more than 13 years of program management and community development experience and has made strides in her efforts to assist families with moving towards economic self-sufficiency, health and wellness.
Maria Peck / Loan Officer
Maria “Mayte” Peck was born in New York City and raised in Trujillo, Peru. Her 15-plus years of sales and marketing experience comes from a broad range of positions held in Atlanta and New York, giving her a diverse view of the industry. As the owner of Sweet Devil Moon Tapas Bar, she was personally responsible for meeting the financial challenges of running a restaurant, managing a 1.2 Million-dollar yearly budget for 6 years. Her search for additional funding led her to ACCION USA, a national micro-lender. She spent two years working from home after her daughter Victoria was born, then decided to work with Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs as Small Business Loan Officer. She works on community outreach initiatives, coaching financial education programs around town, one-on-one business consulting and lending.
