Martin Eakes is co-founder and CEO of Self-Help and the Center for Responsible Lending. He holds a law degree from Yale, a master's from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs at Princeton and a bachelor's degree from Davidson College. A native of North Carolina, Eakes is a nationally recognized expert on development finance and has been honored by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation as a MacArthur Fellow for his work. In 2009, his commitment to responsible lending was honored by the Opportunity Finance Network, which presented him with the Ned Gramlich Lifetime Achievement Award for Responsible Lending. Other awards include the Credit Union National Association Wegner Award, National Consumer Law Center's Father Robert F. Drinan Leadership Award, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation National Families Count Award. Eakes serves on the Ford Foundation Board of Trustees, the Bank of America National Community Advisory Council and the Guilford College Board of Trustees.
In this video clip, Eakes talks about experiences in his youth and how they prompted him to work toward economic justice.