• Karl I. Bell is President and CEO of Diverse Capital Solutions, LLC, a capital advisory and consulting firm and Managing Director of GAA New Ventures, a private investment company led by Dr. William F. Pickard. He is a veteran banking and finance professional serving in many capacities over the past 25 years, including mergers and acquisitions, financing for large corporate clients, managing municipal services and non-profit groups at Fifth Third Bank. While leading a team in Asset Based Lending at NBD (now Chase Bank),he performed asset based management, workouts and worked with Fortune 100 companies successfully structuring complex finance transactions. He spent over 10 years with the Detroit Investment Fund (DIF), as their Senior VP, deploying mezzanine financing for commercial and real estate projects. Karl has participated in the financing and structuring of over $500 million dollars in commercial and real estate projects. He has managed an array of business functions including: marketing, loan sourcing, underwriting/due diligence, documentation,closing and portfolio management.

Karl is highly regarded within his professional community, because of his unique ability to facilitate complex financing and funding structures. He possesses the finance and banking expertise, business acumen, vision, integrity and diplomacy to successfully navigate all parties through the detailed process needed to complete transactions.

Karl holds a B.A. in Business Administration from Morehouse College and MBA degree in Finance & Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Additional industry related education programs include: “Growing the Impact Economy”, Harvard University and “Oxford Impact Investing Programme”, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

BOARD AFFILIATIONS

• The Children’s Foundation of Michigan
• Detroit Youth Sports Commission
• Brightmoor Legacy FoundationOur Daily Bread Advisory Board
• Business Professionals of America – Michigan
• Technology Laboratory and Professional Development Center