Our founding
The African American Community Development Corporation (AACDC) was founded in 2021 by Dorothy Bridges, a legacy leader with more than four decades of experience in banking, community development, and economic justice.
AACDC was created from a clear need: African Americans in Minnesota required a unified voice, strategy, and cultural institution to build wealth, prevent displacement, and ensure our community has a strong role in shaping the region’s economic future.
Dorothy’s awareness of major regional efforts — including the Itasca Project, Greater MSP, and the Upper Harbor Terminal, and later Ground Break — strengthened her resolve to establish AACDC. These types of initiatives demonstrate the power of coordinated vision and investment to shape Minnesota’s growth. AACDC was founded to ensure that African Americans are equally positioned to benefit from and contribute to this kind of transformational work, while advancing our own priorities of wealth creation, land ownership, enterprise growth, and cultural preservation.
Today, AACDC stands as Minnesota’s only Black-led, Black-governed, and Black-focused CDC — a cultural and economic institution dedicated to mobilizing African American leadership, capital, and vision into lasting community transformation.
OUR FOUNDER
Dorothy Bridges
Dorothy Bridges is the Founder of the African American Community Development Corporation (AACDC) and a nationally respected leader in finance, community development, and economic justice.
She currently serves as CEO of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association (Meda) and is a member of the U.S. Bancorp Board of Directors, where she provides strategic direction to one of the largest banks in the United States. With more than 40 years of banking and community development experience, Dorothy has dedicated her career to advancing opportunities for minority-owned businesses, community development initiatives, and equitable economic growth.
Her leadership journey includes serving as Senior Vice President at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, where she oversaw government and media relations, public engagement, and the Center for Indian Country Development. Prior to this role, she served as President and CEO of City First Bank in Washington, D.C. and Franklin National Bank in Minneapolis, where she built a reputation as a champion for underserved communities and minority-owned enterprises.
Dorothy’s leadership extends beyond her professional career. She has chaired and served on numerous influential boards, including the Greater Twin Cities United Way, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, the University of Montana Foundation, and the Northwest Area Foundation. She has also contributed nationally through roles with the American Bankers Association, the Federal Reserve System’s Consumer Advisory Council, and the FDIC’s Community Banker’s Council.
Her contributions have been recognized across the country. She has been named one of the Ebony Power 100, featured as one of the American Banker’s “25 Women to Watch”, and honored by Twin Cities Business, Finance & Commerce, and the Washington Business Journal for her visionary leadership.
Dorothy founded AACDC in 2021 out of a deep recognition that African Americans in Minnesota need a unified voice, strategy, and cultural institution to close the racial wealth gap, prevent displacement, and create lasting generational wealth. Her vision anchors AACDC’s mission to ensure African American communities — especially in North Minneapolis — are not left behind, but instead lead, own, and thrive in shaping their economic future.
