About Us

Ralph Abbott is the founder and principal manager of Prospera Advisory Group which manages a mortgage fund. Prior to founding Prospera Advisory Group, Mr. Abbott formed Premier Commercial Group, Inc. where he currently serves as President.

During his 20 year banking career, Mr. Abbott has been a commercial underwriter and lender. He has originated over a half a billion dollars of commercial real estate loans and was a top ten producing National Commercial Lender at Lehman Brothers. Mr. Abbott is the author of a best selling book as well as a number of publications on private mortgage investing.

Mr. Brooks is the CFO and founding Member of the Physicians First Leasing LLC, a specialty finance company providing lease financing for medical equipment.  Mr. Brooks is accountable for the overall financial performance of Physicians First, including its capital stack, and its overall safety and soundness.  Prior to helping Physicians First, Steve spent 28 years in commercial banking, and 3 years in the private industry.

Mr. Brooks serves on the Central Ohio Metropolitan YMCA Board and the Buckeye Leadership Fellows Advisory Committee. Steve graduated from Albion College in 1989 with a BA (double major in English and Economics & Management), and the Ohio State University in 1994 (MBA in Finance).

Ms. Russell retired from The Ohio State University as Controller directing many of the University’s accounting and financial departments. She was the former Comptroller for the State of Ohio Treasurer’s Office and was an Assistant Vice President for nine years with Buckeye Federal Savings and Loan.

Ms. Russell is a Certified Public Accountant and a Certified Government Financial Manager. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from Ohio Dominican University and received a Masters of Taxation from the Capital University Law Center.

Frank Capella is Principal and Founding Partner of Oxer Capital, Inc. Mr. Capella was formerly a Senior Vice President at Huntington Capital Investment Company and Executive Vice President at Huntington National Bank. He has over 30 years of commercial banking and private equity experience.

Mr. Capella holds an undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences from The Ohio State University and a MBA from The Ohio State University School of Business. He has previously served as a board member of several Columbus community organizations.

Ms. Bradley is the local government affairs and engagement manager at JobsOhio, a position responsible for leading engagement, outreach, and collaboration with government officials and other key stakeholders. She assists in strategy execution and plays an instrumental role in helping to increase JobsOhio’s visibility and engagement with all stakeholders.

Prior to joining JobsOhio, Ms. Bradley served in various roles in the natural gas utility industry and is a seasoned professional with more than two decades of experience in economic development, public policy, public-private partnerships and government/corporate relations.

Active in the community, she serves on the boards of Columbus-Franklin County Finance Authority, Columbus Chamber of Commerce and Ohio Economic Development Association, Gahanna Community Reinvestment Area Housing Council and Columbus Chamber Governmental Affairs Committee.

Ms. Bradley holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and master’s in business administration from Franklin University.

Dr. Alutto served as The Ohio State University’s Interim President for the 2013-2014 period. Prior to that he served as Executive Vice President and Provost from 2007-2013.

Dr. Alutto specializes in corporate performance, leadership, and Sino-U.S. joint venture activity. He has been a consultant to banks, manufacturing firms, aerospace companies, health care agencies, and educational institutions. In addition, he is a member of a number of corporate boards and has served in leadership capacities for a wide variety of volunteer organizations. He also serves as a nationally based labor arbitrator.

Darci Congrove is the Managing Director of GBQ Partners LLC, Columbus’ largest local public accounting firm. She performs a wide range of tax planning and compliance services, as well as general business consulting, and is a frequent speaker in the community on topics of tax and wealth planning.

Ms. Congrove is a 2003 graduate of Leadership Columbus, was recognized on the Business First Forty Under 40 list in 2002, and was named as one of the twelve Women You Should Know in 2010 by Women for Economic Leadership & Development.

Partner and board member at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP,  Mr. Gonzalez brings a wealth of experience in fields related to CFFA’s work, including corporate banking, capital formation, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance matters.  On his firm’s board, among other duties, he serves as a resource for navigating the impact of Dodd-Frank Act regulations on the firm’s financial sector clients. 

Mr. Gonzalez is a cum laude graduate of the New York Law School and has a B.S. in Finance from Rutgers University. He was named a Top Lawyer in Columbus CEO magazine, included in the 2020 Business First 40 Under 40 list, and named among the Top Latino Lawyers of 2019 by Latino Leader Magazine.