Speakers

Caroline Abramo

CEO and Founder
Pana LCE

• 25 years of experience in commodities, infrastructure, and investments
• Highest level of leadership in commodities and capital markets on the sell side at Bankers Trust/ Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, and BNP Paribas
• Founder and CEO of Pana Advisory working with Carlyle to arrange private equity and debt financing for the earliest “green companies”
• Former portfolio manager of Lazard’s Real Assets and Commodities Funds and pioneer of the earliest impact metrics
• Equity owner of Kimura Capital, a private sustainable trade finance syndication platform
• Guided her clients through the tech crash of 2000, the banking crisis of 2008/2011, and COVID

Myriam Ahmed

Executive Director, Global Sustainability Office
Morgan Stanley

Myriam is an Executive Director in Morgan Stanley’s Global Sustainability Office where she works across the firm to support the development of sustainable finance products and solutions. Prior to working at Morgan Stanley Myriam held various capital markets positions in London and New York at Credit Agricole, Natixis and Prodigy Finance. She also spent time at impact investing fund Bridges Fund Management and at the European DFI, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Myriam holds an MA from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from INSEAD.

Afsaneh Beschloss

Founder and CEO
RockCreek

Afsaneh Beschloss is an economist and founder and CEO of RockCreek, one of the world’s largest women-owned investment firms. Previously, she was Managing Director and partner at the Carlyle Group. As the World Bank’s Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer, she led the Bank’s investments, balance sheet management, ratings, borrowings, and innovations in financial products. Prior to this, she led the World Bank’s investments and policy work for renewable energy, power, and infrastructure, as well as pioneering investments in wind and solar energy. Previously, she worked in corporate finance at JP Morgan. Afsaneh has advised governments, central banks, and regulatory agencies on financial policy and energy policy. She serves on the board of trustees of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Rockefeller Foundation, where she chairs the Investment Committee, the Bretton Woods Committee, where she co-chairs the Future of Finance Working Group, Georgetown University, and chairs the PBS Foundation. She was recognized by Carnegie Corporation in their “Great Immigrants, Great Americans 2020” list, received the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award and the Institutional Investor Lifetime Achievement Award, and been listed among the “Most Powerful Women in Banking” by American Banker. She is the co-author of The Economics of Natural Gas (Oxford University Press) and author of numerous journal articles on innovations in finance, energy economics, and renewable energy investing. Afsaneh holds an MPhil (Honors) in Economics from the University of Oxford, where she taught international trade and economic development.

Courtney Birnbaum

Director of Sustainability
Corbin Capital Partners

Courtney leads sustainable investing and ESG integration at Corbin. Courtney also helped shape Corbin’s proprietary ESG materiality framework and leads the firm’s manager engagement efforts. She is a member of Corbin’s Sustainability, Multi-Strategy, and Credit Investment Committees. Previously, Courtney was a senior advisor and portfolio manager at several family offices and a Director at the Bowdoin College endowment. Before Bowdoin, Courtney spent approximately seven years at Goldman Sachs in the Alternative Investments and Manager Selection group (AIMS) and four years at Sterling Stamos, a multi-family office. She holds a B.A. from Yale University and an MBA from Wharton.

Loren Blackford

Senior Advisor
Sierra Club

Loren is a Senior Advisor at the Sierra Club, having previously served as President, Interim Executive Director, and Treasurer, as well as Chair of the Sierra Club Foundation Board and Investment Committee. She has worked on community development and sustainability at the local, national and international levels. This included serving as an advisor to a coalition of foundations, financial institutions and HUD (Living Cities) as they mobilized resources and support for green jobs, transportation-oriented development and healthy, sustainable affordable housing. As Program Director with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation she helped leverage public and private resources and technical assistance to revitalize local communities. She also worked on international environment and development negotiations with the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service and the Quaker UN Office and published a book chapter on the key role of civil society. Loren serves on the boards of ioby, More Perfect Union and Rachel’s Action Network and the advisory councils of Ceres and Clean Energy for America. She is also an active member of Confluence Philanthropy and the Clean Tech Leaders Roundtable. Loren holds a Masters degree from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelors from Oberlin College.

Emily Chien

Fellow (Sustainability and Climate)
Harvard University

Emily Chien is currently a Fellow at Harvard University, specializing in Sustainability and Climate Finance. Her focus within the Harvard and MIT communities is on new climate alliances, businesses and markets and unlocking financing to help us scale with speed and impact. Previously, she led IBM Global Climate Offerings and Climate Tech Partnerships advising C-suite clients on climate risk, adaptation, decarbonization and reporting disclosure pathways. Passionate about accelerating climate action, she co-founded and co-chairs the 100 Women in Finance ESG C-Suite Peer Advisory Group. Emily brings a multi-faceted lens to climate finance and impactful, measurable solutions. She draws on 20+ years in leadership roles spanning lending, banking, investments and insurance at JP Morgan Chase, Fidelity Investments, Prudential Financial and American Express, driving transformative AI solutions for IBM’s top financial services clients, combined with training as a CPA and auditor. Her thought leadership is recognized in a US Patent for capabilities now used by Amazon.com, several research publications with Harvard Business School in financial innovation and a 2021 Fellowship with the World Economic Forum’s Responsible Use of Technology/AI program where she dedicated energies to advancing AI trust, transparency and adoption worldwide. Emily is a member of the Economic Club of New York, 100 Women in Finance, Women’s Bond Club and CHIEF women’s executive network. She serves as Board Director and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee for the Southampton Fresh Air Home and is an avid mentor for diverse talent and start-ups. She holds a B.S., Accountancy and M.A.S., Accountancy, MIS and AI from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Matthew Christ

Portfolio Manager
Ninety One

Matt Christ is a portfolio manager in the Fixed Income team at Ninety One responsible for supporting the growth of the existing Emerging Markets Corporate effort and building the team’s illiquid, private and special situations credit expertise with a strong focus on the decarbonization of emerging markets. Given that over half of current emissions are in emerging markets and the sizable funding gap required to reach Net Zero, there is an addressable and largely untapped market which Matt spends much of his time on. He leads the debt financing efforts to help reduce the carbon profiles of today’s high emitters and to develop new infrastructure and technologies for credible transition paths, creating meaningful impact for real-world carbon reduction. Prior to joining Ninety One, Matt worked for Gramercy Funds Management as a portfolio manager focusing on opportunistic emerging market credit. Before this he was a portfolio manager at BlackRock responsible for the fixed income portfolios of insurance clients.

Michaela Edwards

Partner
Capricorn Investment Group

Michaela Edwards is a Partner at Capricorn Investment Group, one of the largest mission-aligned investment firms in the world. Prior to joining Capricorn in 2019, she spent nine years as a Senior Portfolio Manager with Norges Bank Investment Management, the sovereign wealth fund of Norway, where she lead the external global environmental portfolio. Before joining Norges, Michaela worked as a research analyst for Russell Investments in London and New York. She started her career on the trading desk of DNB in Oslo. She is a graduate of Cass Business School in London and Oslo University College. She is a CFA charter holder.

Sarah Gelfand

Managing Director
BlueMark

Sarah Gelfand is one of the impact investing market’s early pioneers. She was a founding Director at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), where she led development of the industry’s leading system for measuring and managing impact (IRIS+). As Managing Director of BlueMark, Sarah co-leads business strategy, business and product development, and supports the firm’s engagement with various market-building and standard-setting initiatives. Sarah previously served as Vice President of Social Impact Programs at Fidelity Charitable, where she launched several new impact investing offerings for retail clients and led a grant-making initiative for the Board of Trustees. She also developed and ran a specialty business unit focused on providing philanthropic consulting services to clients. Ms. Gelfand also previously held roles at Duke University where she oversaw strategy and operations for an accelerator program that produced research and provided consulting services to a global network of 50 nonprofit and for-profit healthcare-focused social enterprises. Sarah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Applied Mathematics from Brown University and her Master of Science in Statistics from the University of Washington.

Lisa Hall

Impact Chair
Apollo Global Management

Lisa Hall is a recognized expert on community development finance and impact investing, an approach to investing that incorporates social and environmental factors. She has dedicated her 25-year career to economic justice, social impact, and community investing.

Ms. Hall currently serves as Impact Chair at Apollo Global Management where she is part of the leadership team for the firm’s private equity impact platform and has responsibility for the impact management elements of the strategy. Prior to joining Apollo, Ms. Hall was a Professor of Practice and a Fellow at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation, where she led research focused on creating a more inclusive economy. She previously served as a Managing Director at Anthos Fund & Asset Management (“AFAM”), where she launched and oversaw the firm’s impact investing portfolio. Prior to AFAM, Ms. Hall was President and CEO of Calvert Impact Capital.

Ms. Hall covered community development policy issues as a Senior Policy Advisor for the National Economic Council and has diverse civic leadership and non-profit board experience. Ms. Hall currently serves on the boards of Community Development Trust, National Resources Defense Council and Habitat for Humanity International. She was also recently an independent member of the Investment Committee of the Nathan Cummings Foundation, which has committed to 100% mission alignment of their portfolio. She is a graduate of The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and earned her MBA from Harvard Business School. She is co-editor of the soon to be released book entitled Investing for Social Impact, Economic Justice and Racial Equity, published by the American Bar Association. Lisa is a native of Baltimore, MD and currently residesin Washington, DC.

Barbara Handelin, PhD

CEO
The 90/10 Institute

Dr. Handelin is currently cofounder of a nonprofit think tank, The 90 / 10 Institute. Our mission is to seed a new public benefit industry based on rethinking how the biotech/pharma industry can produce far more products that deliver maximum health at costs that are accessible to all patients and fit in a sustainable healthcare economy. Previously, she was the cofounder and CEO of Audacity Therapeutics, a public benefit (B Corp) pharmaceutical company and BioPontis Alliance for Rare Diseases, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing new therapies forward for rare genetic diseases. She is a veteran entrepreneur and molecular medical geneticist who has pioneered the responsible application of genetics and molecular innovation to clinical medicine over a 35 year career. In 1987 Dr. Handelin established one of the first commercial DNA testing laboratories at Integrated Genetics (later Genzyme Genetics). After co-founding a gene therapy company in 1995 (Genovo), Dr. Handelin began her own consulting services to venture capital investors, start ups, biomedical universities, biotechnology, diagnostics, genomics, pharmacogenomics and bioinformatics companies. She also founded a biosimulation company, Kenna Technologies, where she has served as CEO until its acquisition by DNA Print Genomics in October 2005. In 2010 she co-founded BioPontis Alliance, a novel Fund designed to bridge the gap between academic science and the product pipelines of the pharmaceutical and diagnostic industries. Dr. Handelin served 3 years on the board of RedPath Integrated Pathology, Inc. and on advisory boards of several genomics companies (e.g. EXACT Sciences). She served 10 years as a board member of the IRB education nonprofit organization Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R), as well as on a variety of federal committees and advisory panels on ethics in genetic testing, including the Secretary’s Advisory Panel on Genetics, Health and Society. Dr. Handelin took her Ph.D. at the Oregon Health Sciences University with thesis work completed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has authored journal publications in human genetics, bioethics for industry and genetics education. Dr. Handelin holds a Non-Profit Management Certificate from the University of Delaware.

Deborah Jackson

Founder & CEO
Plum Alley

Investor, entrepreneur, tech enthusiast Former Goldman, Forbes 50 over 50 women-investing

Dr. Lucas Joppa

Chief Sustainability Officer & Senior Managing Director
Haveli Investments

Dr. Lucas Joppa is Senior Managing Director and Chief Sustainability Officer at Haveli, a technology focused. private equity firm. Previously, Dr. Joppa was Microsoft’s first Chief Environmental Scientist, and then first Chief Environmental Officer, leading the development and execution of the company’s sustainability strategy across its worldwide business including Microsoft’s historic carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste sustainability commitments, as well as the establishment of their AI for Earth initiative and development of their Planetary Computer platform. With a combined background in both environmental science and data science, Dr. Joppa is committed to using the power of technology to advance a growing movement to address the world’s sustainability needs.

Recognized by Fortune magazine in its “40 Under 40” list, Dr. Joppa is a uniquely accredited voice for sustainability in the tech industry. He has been recognized as one of the world’s most highly cited researchers and serves on the boards of organizations dedicated to environmental sustainability around the world.

Dr. Joppa remains an active scientist, speaking frequently on issues related to artificial intelligence, environmental science, and sustainability. Along with his Ph.D., Dr. Joppa holds a B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin and is a former Peace Corps volunteer to Malawi.

Beata Kirr

Chief Impact Officer
The Copia Group

Beata Kirr is a Managing Director and the Chief Impact Officer at The Copia Group, a lower middle market private credit firm, which provides customized lending solutions, primarily to women and ethnically diverse- owned businesses, in pursuit of shrinking the wealth gap. Beata is a voting member of the Investment Committee and is responsible for the impact framework and measurement process, in addition to thought leadership and fundraising responsibilities. Prior to Copia, Beata was the Co-CIO of Bernstein Private Wealth, overseeing $100bn, with responsibility for strategic asset allocation, manager selection, product evolution and communication for all investments. In that role, Beata oversaw the creation and allocation to all purpose- driven strategies, a $7bn suite. Beata also created the Women & Wealth Institute at Bernstein, hosting the Women & Wealth podcast and creating content around women’s financial engagement. She also frequently provided market commentary to Bloomberg, WSJ, Chicago Tribune & NPR. Beata is an Investment Committee member at The Poetry Foundation and Temple Sukkat Sholom, Wilmette and recently joined the Board of Directors for Macquarie Asset Management.

Lenna Koszarny

Founding Partner and CEO
Horizon Capital

Lenna Koszarny Founding Partner and CEO, Investment Committee Member Lenna Koszarny is Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Capital, the leading private equity firm in Ukraine with $1.4 billion in assets under management, backed by over 40 institutional investors with a capital base exceeding $630 billion. Under her leadership, Horizon Capital raised the first and largest fund for Ukraine since the full-fledged invasion, Horizon Capital Growth Fund IV (HCGF IV), exceeding their target and raising $254m in April 2023 at a signing ceremony held in Kyiv, Ukraine at the Presidential Administration with the participation of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. HCGF IV is the first 2X Flagship Fund in Central and Eastern Europe promoting gender-smart investing, 1 of circa 10 in total, and 1 of only 2 globally led by a female Founding Partner & CEO.

In May 2023, Ms. Koszarny was named one of Ukraine’s «Top 50 Women Leaders Leading Ukraine to Victory» by Forbes Ukraine. In February 2022, Horizon Capital was honored as 2021 Firm of the Year for Central and Eastern Europe by Private Equity International, and in July 2022, Ms. Koszarny was recognized in Private Equity International’s 2022 Women of Influence in Private Markets list, 1 of 10 women selected in the private equity category. Ms. Koszarny is also Executive Vice-President of Western NIS Enterprise Fund, a $285 million US-government backed fund; Chair of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine representing 600 members with over $50 billion invested in Ukraine; and a Board Member and Vice President of the Ukrainian World Congress, representing over 20 million Ukrainians worldwide. She is also a member of the Board of the Ukrainian Startup Fund launched by the Government of Ukraine; and, served as the first Vice-Chair of the Advisory Council of Kyiv-Mohyla Business School.

On August 24, 2020, the 29th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded Ms. Koszarny with an Order of Merit for Service to Ukraine, third level, for her significant contribution to the country’s economy and investment climate. She is also a recipient of a Presidential Commemorative Medal on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Independence. Under Ms. Koszarny’s leadership, Horizon Capital is committed to promoting gender equality in the alternative assets industry, and inspiring greater investment sector engagement by women. In July 2020, she was named as #2 Emerging Europe’s Female Business Leader 2020 by UK-headquartered online publication Emerging-Europe.com, whose independent insight is relied upon by more than two million people. She is a Member of the Private Equity Women Investor Network (PEWIN), bringing together 600+ senior women leaders in private equity with over $3 trillion AUM, and was named Empowerment Ambassador of the SheExports Platform launched by Ukraine’s Export Promotion Office. She is also a Member of the all-female Ukraine House Davos Organizing Committee, promoting Ukraine alongside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Ms. Koszarny is a CPA and a 1991 HBA graduate of the Ivey Business School in Canada. She is Canadian of Ukrainian descent and has lived and worked in Ukraine for 30 years.

Paula Luff

Director of ESG Research and Engagement
DSC Meridian Capital

Paula is the Director of ESG Research and Engagement at DSC Meridian Capital where she is responsible for integrating ESG within the investment process and leading DSC Meridian’s engagement with portfolio companies on ESG matters. Prior to joining DSC, she served as Director of Sustainability and Impact for Inherent Group, an ESG-focused investment manager. Prior to joining Inherent Group, Paula was Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for Hess Corporation where she established and led the global social responsibility function for the company and integrated key ESG issues into operations and enterprise risk. She also led engagement efforts on a range of sustainability issues with host governments, NGOs, investors and other external stakeholders. Prior to joining Hess, Paula was Senior Director of Strategic Health Partnerships for Pfizer Inc where she set global access to medicines strategy and led the design and implementation of global health programs and policies for the company and its foundation. She also represented Pfizer on social impact and global health issues with investors, the media, public officials, bi-lateral and multi-lateral organizations, NGOs, and other external stakeholders.

Paula holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and master’s degrees from New York University and the New School University. Paula serves as a director of Malk Partners, a private professional services firm. She is co-chair of the Audit Committee of the Access to Nutrition Foundation. Paula also is a member of the University of Wisconsin International Division’s Advisory Board and is an Advisor to the Center for Sustainable Business at NYU’s Stern School of Business. Paula was a member of the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society Leaders Forum and served on the Executive Pay Principles Working Group. She also served on the Executive Council for Development and as a Senior Associate with the Project on Prosperity and Development at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Brooke Masters

US Financial Editor
Financial Times

Brooke Masters is US Financial Editor and an Associate Editor at the Financial Times. She leads the news team covering the American financial sector and writes a column on global business for the opinion section. She joined the FT in 2006 from the Washington Post and has run both the opinion section and the companies section. Over the course of her career, she has covered politics, criminal justice, education, financial services, regulation and white-collar crime.

Monica Medina

President and CEO
Wildlife Conservation Society

Monica P. Medina joined the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) on June 1, 2023, as President and CEO. She oversees WCS in New York City and across the world in its mission to save wildlife and wild places. She has had a distinguished career in advancing conservation, science, and environmental policy on behalf of people and wildlife working at the highest levels of government, international diplomacy and in nonprofits, and academia. Just prior to WCS, Ms. Medina worked in the U.S. Department of State as the first U.S. Diplomat Designated to Advocate for Global Biodiversity and served as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. At the U.S. Department of State, Ms. Medina was pivotal to the Biden Administration’s adoption of the 30×30 goal—the protection of at least 30 percent of the planet’s land and oceans by 2030. Further, Medina was a leading negotiator for the U.S. behind the adoption of the historic United Nations agreement to protect marine biodiversity in international waters. In the private sector, Ms. Medina served as the Senior Director for Ocean Policy at the National Geographic Society, and as the ocean lead at the Walton Family Foundation. She was also Co-Founder and Publisher of Our Daily Planet, an e-newsletter on conservation and the environment. Ms. Medina attended college on an Army R.O.T.C. scholarship and began her career on active duty in the Army General Counsel’s Office. She received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service and the Army Meritorious Service Medal. She has a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a J.D. from Columbia Law School.

Blair Miller

Senior Advisor
Two Sigma Impact

Blair Miller has spent her career using business to address pressing social challenges with a focus on talent, access, and inclusion. Currently, she is a venture and private equity investor focused on the human side of the future of work. In this capacity she works with Two Sigma Impact, a private equity firm focused on workforce impact. Throughout her career, Blair has held key positions such as co-founder of Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital, an emerging markets sustainable investment fund, Vice President at the family office of businessman Ray Chambers and she began her career at Acumen, a global impact investment fund. She has also advised leading organizations such as Andela, McKinsey’s Generation Initiative, Reservoir Capital, Rockefeller Foundation, and Roundtable Investment Partners. Blair served as a Senior Fellow at Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs for six years where she taught a course called “Aligning Profit and Purpose”. She is a long-serving trustee of The Africa Center, a multidisciplinary institution that serves as a gateway to contemporary Africa.

Blair holds an MBA from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and BA in English Literature from the University of Virginia. Her most recent op-eds address reframing the career track, building purpose resilient companies and restructuring professional pathways for the future of work.

Bhakti Mirchandani

Managing Director, Responsible Investing
Trinity Church Wall Street

Bhakti Mirchandani is Managing Director, Responsible Investing at Trinity Church Wall Street, a thriving Episcopal congregation in lower Manhattan. Mirchandani is also a contributing writer at the Milken Institute and Forbes.com; teaches an award-winning impact finance class that she pioneered in Columbia University’s Masters in Sustainability Management Program, as well as an impact investing course in Columbia Business School’s Executive Education Program; is a co-founder and steering committee member of Institutional Allocators for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; serves as an independent director of Live Oak Crestview Climate Acquisition Corp.; and is a life member at the Council on Foreign Relations. Previously, Mirchandani was managing director at FCLTGlobal, ESG advisor to Corbin Capital, an investment management strategist at One William Street Capital Management and Lehman Brothers, and a sustainable finance banker at Barclays Capital and Unitus Capital. She also spent 10 years pioneering microinsurance, microfinance securitization, and micropension. Her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review, The New York Times, the Financial Times, Institutional Investor, CNBC, and at the G-20, Davos, and at the US House of Representatives. She holds a BA, MBA, and MPA from Harvard University and received the Dean’s Award from Harvard Business School. Most importantly, she is a proud mother of a spirited 5-year-old (#girlmom).

Annette L. Nazareth

Chair
Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market

Annette L. Nazareth serves as the Chair of the Integrity Counsel for the Voluntary Carbon Market (Integrity Council), an independent governance body that evolved from the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets (TSVCM), where she served as Operating Lead. Annette has devoted significant attention to virtually all aspects of the body’s workstreams, and has represented the Integrity Council in venues across the globe. Annette has decades of experience in financial services regulation and corporate governance. She currently serves as Senior Counsel at the global law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, having previously served as a Partner of the firm and the head of the Washington DC office. Annette also led the firm’s Trading and Markets practice within the Financial Institutions Group. She was a key player in U.S. financial services regulation for nearly a decade, most notably as a Commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and as the SEC’s Director of the Division of Trading and Markets.

Gloria Nelund

Chairman and CEO
TriLinc Global

Gloria Nelund – CEO and Founder TriLinc Global Gloria Nelund co-founded TriLinc Global after a rewarding career as one of the most successful and visible executives in the international asset management industry. She is responsible for leading the Company’s high-level strategy and directing its growth since its founding in 2008. Gloria brings to TriLinc Global more than 30 years of experience in executive management of multi-billion-dollar financial institutions, as well as deep expertise in the creation, sales and distribution of investment products. Gloria has been a pioneer in the development of social impact products. She was instrumental in making Deutsche Bank a leading institutional supporter of microcredit, creating multiple programs to help Private Wealth Management clients learn about and invest in the sector. Gloria also served on the Board of the Deutsche Bank Americas Community Development Group, with responsibility for providing loans, investments and grants to targeted organizations throughout the U.S. and Latin America. Gloria is a life-long supporter of development-oriented philanthropic causes. She has volunteered as a teacher of at-risk youth in the Los Angeles Unified School District and the YMCA of Los Angeles. Gloria currently sits on the board of multiple not-for-profit organizations and actively supports entrepreneurship research and education. She is an active speaker and guest lecturer on Impact Investing at conferences and several top business schools, including Columbia, Georgetown, Wheaton, Kellogg, Stanford and MIT.

Michelle Noyes

Head of Americas
The Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA)

Michelle Noyes, Managing Director, Head of Americas, AIMA Michelle Noyes joined AIMA in 2012 as Chief Operating Officer of AIMA’s New York office, and became the Association’s Head of Americas in 2017. Previously, she was Head of International Sales and Investor Relations for BRZ Investimentos, one of the largest independent asset managers in Brazil. While in Sao Paulo, she also served as the Brazil representative for AIMA and established the AIMA Brazil network. Michelle began her career in hedge funds as General Manager for a global conference organizer, where she launched and managed a portfolio of successful asset management and investment events. Michelle holds a B.A. and M.A. from New York University and is a CAIA Charterholder.

Masrura Oishi

Manager
Global Impact Investing Network

Masrura Oishi is a Manager, IRIS+ Impact Frameworks Development, at the Impact Measurement and Management team at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). Previously she worked as Manager, Innovation Ecosystem and Partnerships at BRAC Social Innovation Lab focusing on technology adaptation in challenging contexts. She completed her Masters degree from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, focusing on Business for Social Impact and International Organizations. Her capstone research focused on impact measurement practices in edtech investing in Kenya.

Oishi is also the Founder of Baak, a mentorship network for adolescent girls in Bangladesh. She spent last summer at the MIT D Lab, supporting in research for Problem Framing Toolkit for social entrepreneurs in Kenya and India. Oishi designed and led BRAC’s first social business incubator offering seed funding for employee led solutions, bracX. She also managed cross country partnerships, launched BRAC’s inaugural Social Innovation Fellowship and organized BRAC’s flagship international conference ‘Frugal Innovation Forum’.

Prior to joining BRAC in 2016, she worked in research consulting and social enterprise incubation, specializing on behavioral change and strategy. She has consulted multiple startups in their early stages. Her research on ‘Investment Readiness of the startups in Dhaka’ won the best paper award at the 13th Asian Business Research Conference. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from North South University. Oishi is an Advisor at Alokito Hridoy Foundation, an award-winning social enterprise aiming to transform classroom experience in underprivileged primary schools in Bangladesh. She was a Global Talent at UNLEASH 2018 under the SDG-4 track. Her eccentric career choices also took her to journalism, hosting radio shows and teaching high-schoolers to senior citizens.

Angela Outlaw-Matheny

Director of Diverse Manager Equity
Crewcial Partners

Being born the year Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, recognizing this significant inflection point, her childhood community, and educational experiences, coupled with the absence of a mentor, led her to the investment field where DE&I is at the core of the firm’s investment philosophy. For seven years, Angela has led the investment team’s diverse manager sourcing efforts at Crewcial Partners ensuring exposure to the diverse manager marketplace and internal processes are efficient while overseeing the firm’s manager selection process. Her work builds on a premise where the firm acknowledges that historical industry wide systematic barriers exist but are managed and/or nonexistent at Crewcial to ensure best ideas are constructed into portfolios. Valuing human capital, diverse talent acquisition and building a training and development program is another area of expertise. Angela also drives the firm’s manager feedback loop while monitoring protocol to ensure the internal vetting process for women and diverse asset managers is fair and inclusive. With great fortitude, Angela facilitates the constant communication between Crewcial, DE&I focused networks, and diverse fund managers. With no finish line in sight, the firm continues to build a robust pipeline of what it believes is a largely under-followed segment of the asset manager community due to the abundance of talent they have identified.

Morgan Peterson

Senior Analyst
impact Capital Managers

Morgan Peterson joined the Impact Capital Managers (ICM) team as an Analyst in August 2021. At ICM, Morgan supports the program development for the organization’s network of 115+ private capital impact funds seeking market-rate returns and measurable social impact. Previously, Morgan interned at Gladstone Place Partners, a financial communications firm in NYC, where she advised corporate clients on strategic communication strategies. Morgan also worked as a Program and Research Assistant at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security, supporting the work of Former US Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer. Morgan graduated Magna Cum Laude from Georgetown University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Justice & Peace Studies.

Betty Salanic

CEO & Podcast Host
Accelerate Investors

Betty Salanic is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Accelerate Investors and the host of the CIO Conversations Podcast. Accelerate Investors creates educational content, builds strategic partnerships with allocators, and brings together high-quality peer engagement opportunities. Additionally, on the podcast, she interviews leading chief investment officers of endowments, foundations, and pensions on their backgrounds, investment portfolios, and global outlook. Formerly, Betty conducted research and due diligence on multi-million dollar private equity and venture capital investments for Rice University’s $6.5 billion endowment. Previously, she was at an impact investment fund, Root Capital, in investor relations – raising capital from foundations, government agencies, and socially responsible investors. Betty began her career as an analyst at J.P. Morgan Asset Management in New York. Betty graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a BBA in Finance and a BS in Corporate Communication. In addition, she studied abroad in Milan at Bocconi University and in Hong Kong at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, where she studied international economics and finance, and emerging markets, respectively. Betty serves on The University of Texas at Austin Diversity & Community Engagement Advisory Council and the Financial Advisory Committee for the New York Junior League, one of the oldest non-profit organizations in New York City. Previously, she served on the NYC Comptroller’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth through Diversity and Inclusion. She also served on The University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business BBA Advisory Board for six years and founded Women of McCombs. Betty is fluent in Spanish and enjoys swimming, reading, and hiking.

Debra D. Schwartz

Managing Director, Impact Investments
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Debra D. Schwartz is Managing Director for Impact Investments at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, a private, global philanthropy with assets totalling approximately $8 billion. For 40 years, MacArthur has made catalytic impact investments that advance equity, inclusion, and sustainability, committing $750+ million to private debt, equity and guarantees. Collectively, these investments have helped strengthen and expand affordable housing, community development, climate solutions, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and social innovation. Through complementary grantmaking, Debra and her team fund networks, research projects and other resources that support and strengthen the impact investing field globally. Before joining MacArthur in 1995, Debra was the CFO for a nonprofit child welfare agency in Chicago and an investment banker at John Nuveen & Co. She is a frequent public speaker and guest lecturer at leading universities, including the University of Chicago, where she previously taught as an adjunct professor. Currently, Debra serves as Treasurer for the International Women’s Forum–Chicago Chapter and is a member of the board of directors for the Mission Investors Exchange. Her past appointments include the US Treasury Department Community Development Advisory Board and the board of directors for the Yale Club of Chicago Scholarship Foundation. Debra holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a BA degree from Yale University, summa cum laude.

Lisa Sebasta

Founder
Sitari Capital

As Founder of Sitari Capital, Lisa works with investors to evaluate and manage impactful, direct investments in private companies that align with their values. She was previously a Managing Partner at Fresh Source Capital, LLC, and a General Partner in Fresh Source Capital Fund 1, which focuses on the sustainable food and agriculture sector. Previously Lisa spent 15 years as an equity analyst and portfolio manager for boutique investment firms in Boston. Lisa has served as an advisor and/or board director for several food and agriculture organizations, including Atlantic Sea Farms, Farmers To You, Big Picture Beef, and Boston Public Market. Lisa holds an undergraduate degree from Holy Cross and earned her Masters at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She is a CFA® Charterholder and member of the Boston Security Analysts Society.

Andrew Siwo

Director of Sustainable Investments and Climate Solutions
New York State Common Retirement Fund

Andrew Siwo is the Director of Sustainable Investments and Climate Solutions at the New York State Common Retirement Fund. He is charged with providing leadership and oversight of sustainable investment efforts across the Fund’s $272 billion portfolio. Previously, Siwo was an Investment Director and Head of Mission-Related Investments at Crewcial Partners, an investment consultancy to over 150 leading foundations and endowments.

Prior to joining Crewcial Partners, Siwo was a manager at the Global Impact Investing Networking (GIIN). In his capacity there, he was responsible for the operation, sourcing, and development of ImpactBase, the largest platform of impact investment funds globally, which he grew by north of $10 billion and approved more than 100 prospective impact funds targeting a financial return as well as social/environmental benefits. He also educated and fostered institutional investors seeking exposure to sustainable investments. Prior to joining the GIIN, Siwo spent five years in the investment banking division at JP Morgan—most recently in the Global Special Opportunities Group, a $3 billion proprietary portfolio of principal investments in private equity, debt, mezzanine, infrastructure, and real estate. He also held roles on the Rates Desk and executed fixed income financing transactions as well as the Securitized Products Group where he valued collateralized mortgage obligations. Before JP Morgan, Siwo was a member of the Corporate Finance and Real Estate Strategy Group at Victoria’s Secret where he oversaw capital budgeting. He began his career at E*TRADE Financial where he managed a team of investment representatives serving active traders and high net-worth investors. His investment articles have been printed in various industry publications.

Siwo completed an MPA in Finance and Fiscal Policy at Cornell University and holds a BA in Accounting from Morehouse College. He has held FINRA Series 7, 63, and 24 licenses. He teaches an ESG course at The Wagner Graduate of Public Service at NYU where he is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Service. Siwo also serves on the Board of New York Professional Advisors to Community Entrepreneurs (NYPACE) and United World Schools (UWS).

Marieke Spence

Executive Director
Impact Capital Managers

Marieke Spence is Executive Director of Impact Capital Managers (ICM), which works to advance the performance of its members and to scale the impact investing marketplace with integrity and authenticity. ICM accomplishes this via its membership association – which includes 100+ funds representing more than $70B in private, impact-focused capital – and through collaborating on field- building initiatives, partnerships, and research with its affiliated organization, the ICM Institute. Association members must meet certain criteria including standards on impact measurement and management. The ICM Institute is a proud organizer of the Mosaic Fellowship and with Achieve Partners, a producer of the Better Money, Better World podcast.

For more information visit www.impactcapitalmanagers.com.

Chavon Sutton

Senior Investment Director, Sustainable & Impact Investing Research
Cambridge Associates

Chavon Sutton Senior Investment Director, Sustainable and Impact Investing Research Chavon is a member of Cambridge Associates’ Sustainable & Impact Investing team, where she is responsible for conducting manager research across asset classes and working with institutional clients to build sustainability- and impact-focused portfolios. Prior to joining Cambridge Associates, Chavon was the City of New York’s inaugural Director of Emerging Manager Strategy for NYC’s Bureau of Asset Management, the investment advisor to each of the city’s five retirement systems. There, she led the Bureau’s growth strategy for investment in small, diverse, and women-owned managers across all asset classes, created its first blueprint for the integration of diversity factors in its investment process, and supported the investment staff’s sourcing and due diligence efforts.

Previously, Chavon was a Vice President at J.P. Morgan where she constructed and managed portfolios for families, endowments, and foundations. She began her career in corporate finance roles at Bank of America and RBC, underwriting debt transactions for Fortune 100 financial institutions. Chavon earned her MBA in Finance and MA in Journalism from New York University. She earned her BA in Economics, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania.

Lauren Taylor Wolfe

Co-Founder and Managing Partner
Impactive Capital

Lauren Taylor Wolfe is co-founder and Managing Partner of Impactive Capital, a $3 Billion active impact investing firm. Impactive Capital helps companies allocate capital effectively and ethically to drive more sustainable, profitable and valuable businesses over the long run. Prior to founding Impactive Capital, from 2007 to 2017, Lauren was a Managing Director at investment firm, Blue Harbour Group, where she led investments in the technology, consumer and business and healthcare services industries. Prior to joining Blue Harbour in 2007, Lauren was a Portfolio Manager at SIAR Capital, where she invested in small capitalization public companies and private companies. Lauren received an M.B.A. from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University. Lauren has been active on various public and private boards including, $4 Billion TEV Envestnet Inc [NYSE: ENV], $10 Billion TEV HD Supply [Nasdaq: HDS], 30% Club Steering Committee, an Angel Member of 100 Women in Finance.

Jennifer L. Trivelli

Senior Director, Communications & Marketing
Mission Investors Exchange

Jennifer joined Mission Investors Exchange in 2023 as Senior Director of Communications and Marketing. In this role, Jennifer will lead the management and growth of MIE’s communications and marketing processes, playing an active role in increasing the organization’s visibility, helping to evolve MIE’s outreach, member engagement, and overall organizational strategy.

Jennifer brings 16 years of experience to MIE, most recently as Senior Director of Integrated Marketing with the Cleveland Foundation, where she held successive marketing and communications roles for a decade, including as Director of Content Marketing and as Senior Marketing & Communications Officer. During this time, she supported ongoing marketing and communications strategies for the foundation’s $385 million impact investing program. She also played a leading role in the development and launch of the ImpactCleveland platform and helped convene a city-wide consortium of partners representing $375 million in impact capital. In addition, Jennifer provided comprehensive marketing and communications strategies supporting a decade of fundraising growth, including three top fundraising years, was instrumental in the award-winning Cleveland Foundation centennial year, and led signature events, including the organization’s annual meeting and Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards ceremony.

Jennifer previously served as a Public Relations Associate with Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, where she was responsible for enhancing the image and national reputation of several medical specialties, including cardiology, oncology, surgery, women’s health and ED/trauma. In this role, she earned Lean Six Sigma Greenbelt certification and completed training at FEMA’s Center for Domestic Preparedness, earning certification in Hospital Incident Command. She previously held successive marketing and public relations roles at Robinson Memorial Hospital.

Jennifer graduated from Kent State University with a Master of Business Administration in finance and a Bachelor of Science in public relations with a minor in political science. She serves as a volunteer mentor with College Now Greater Cleveland.

Rekha Unnithan

Managing Director
Nuveen

Rekha is a Managing Director and the Co-Head of Private Equity Impact Investing, where she is responsible for executing Nuveen’s private equity impact and climate inclusion strategy. She was an early visionary establishing the intentional leadership in the impact investing platform for Nuveen. Prior to joining Nuveen in 2012, Rekha was a Vice President in the institutional investment group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She also held various positions in institutional investments, investment oversight, and risk management at Merrill Lynch. Rekha graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Yale University and an M.B.A. with a specialization in Financial Instruments & Markets, Social Innovation and Impact from New York University’s Stern School of Business. She holds the CFA and CIMA designations. Rekha serves on the advisory board of the Operating Principles for Impact Management and as chair of the Global Private Capital Association’s Impact Council. She is a board member on several current portfolio companies to help drive strategy and performance.

Diana van Maasdijk

CEO & Co-founder
Equileap

Diana van Maasdijk is the Co-Founder & CEO of Equileap, the leading provider of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion data for financial market participants. This unique data, across 5000+ publicly listed companies, is used by investors to have a greater impact on social issues within sustainable investing. Prior to launching Equileap, Diana worked as Head of Philanthropy at ABN AMRO Private Bank and Director of Development at Mama Cash, the world’s oldest international women’s fund. She has a BA from Hamilton College and an MA in international development from American University.

Melissa Weigel Benn

Managing Director, Capital Raising
The Nature Conservancy / NatureVest

Melissa works across the Impact, Finance and Markets division within The Nature Conservancy to oversee all capital raising efforts. She is responsible for working with product leads and colleagues across The Nature Conservancy to source the capital for NatureVest’s conservation impact investment products, as well as raising philanthropic capital to support the division’s operations. She has extensive experience in nature-based solutions, corporate sustainability efforts, and structuring investable products. Previously, Melissa led investment fundraising efforts for the NatureVest team, where she successfully raised more than $130M of investment capital for the Cumberland Forest Project among other deals. Earlier in her career, Melissa worked as a member of TNC’s development teams in Pennsylvania and New York, where she successfully stewarded major donors in support of TNC’s global work. Prior to TNC, she worked at Schultz & Williams, a consulting firm that specializes in nonprofits. She currently lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and son, where she tries to spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Han Yik

Senior Advisor to the ED/CIO – Stewardship
NYS Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS)

Han Yik is the Senior Advisor to the Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer of the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System (NYSTRS). He advises on investments, policy, global initiatives and corporate governance. In addition, Han leads NYSTRS’ initiatives on investor stewardship and sustainability and its integration across the NYSTRS investment portfolio.

Han was formerly the Head of Institutional Investors at the World Economic Forum, where he worked with the world’s largest asset owners and government officials on issues around long-term investing and providing strategic guidance on public-private cooperation initiatives. He led the Forum’s work on the global pension crisis, with his articles and reports receiving extensive press coverage from major media outlets such as Bloomberg and The Financial Times. In addition, he has been a keynote speaker at various global conferences and has led private roundtables in Davos.

Han began his career as an actuarial consultant before joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch as a Senior Institutional Portfolio Strategist and Head of Institutional Thought Leadership. Han earned his B.S. in Applied Mathematics with a concentration in Operations Research from Yale University, where he won the Benjamin F. Barge Prize for Excellence in Mathematics. Han formerly served as a board member for Materials for the Arts, a local non-profit devoted to creative recycling and reuse of donated materials as arts materials for underserved public schools in New York City.