Board Members

Lisa Woll, Chief Executive Officer + bio

Cheryl Smith, Chair

• Cheryl Smith is Executive Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at Trillium Asset Management Corporation, an employee-owned investment management company solely devoted to socially responsible investment. She is responsible for managing investment portfolios for institutional and personal clients, and is Chair of the Proxy Policy Committee at Trillium. After beginning her career as Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Denver, Ms. Smith began her investment management career at Trillium Asset Management in 1987. In 1992 she joined United States Trust Company in Boston (now known as Walden Asset Management) as Vice President and portfolio manager, before rejoining Trillium Asset Management in the fall of 1997.
  
  Ms. Smith serves on the Steering Committee for the Institute for Responsible Investment. She is a former Board member and Advisory Board member of Resist! Ms. Smith is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute. She is a member of the American Economic Association. She holds a B.S.F.S. degree from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and earned M. A., M. Phil., and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from Yale University. She has spoken at numerous occasions on integrating Community Investments into investment management portfolios.

George R. Gay, Vice Chair

• George Gay CFP is Chief Executive Officer of First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC. He has produced and hosted the annual SRI in the Rockies conference since 1990. He was the recipient of the industry’s 1997 “SRI Service Award.” He joined First Affirmative Financial Network as a financial planner in November 1986, and assumed the position of Chief Operating Officer of FAFN in 1989 and became CEO when FAFN became an independent investment advisory firm in 1999. He earned the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation in June 1984, and completed a range of securities examinations covering the practice and supervision of the securities business (NASD Series 24 (Registered Principal) and Series 7 (Registered Representative), Series 65 (Uniform Investment Advisor), Series 63 (Uniform Securities Agent), and Series 58 (Municipal Bond Principal) licenses). Born in Monroe, Michigan, George is a 1974 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served on active duty for nine years in various command, staff and faculty assignments. His final assignment on active duty, and for three more years as a civilian, was in the Resource Management Division, Directorate of Personnel and Community Activities at Fort Carson, Colorado. As chief of this division, George was responsible for the financial management of most business operations on the installation, ranging from Child Care Operations and Drug and Alcohol Abuse prevention to the Golf Course, Bowling Center and the Club Systems. Upon his departure, George received the Department of the Army "Commander’s Award for Civilian Service.”

Reginald Stanley, Vice Chair

• Reginald (Reggie) Stanley is Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President at Calvert. Mr. Stanley has twenty years' experience in investment, economic development and entrepreneurial businesses. Prior to Calvert he served as President of Boston Community Managed Assets and Chief Operating Officer of Boston Community Capital (BCC). Mr. Stanley spent seven years and held several leadership positions at Fidelity Investments. He has worked at the consulting firms of Bain & Company, and McKinsey & Company, as well as serving on several community and non-profit boards aimed at civil justice, economic development, equality and quality of life issues. These currently include the Whitman Walker Health Care Clinic, the Doorways to Dreams (D2D) IDA support start-up, Greater DC Cares, Social Investment Forum, and Echoing Green, a social philanthropy organization. Mr. Stanley earned his MBA at the Wharton School and his B. A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kathy Stearns, Secretary

• Kathy Stearns formed Arc Advisers LLC in 2007 after more than 20 years in the community development finance sector to offer financial planning services to individuals, and consulting services to nonprofits and small businesses on how to maximize the benefits of their retirement plans for staff. From 1997 to 2007 Kathy worked at Opportunity Finance Network where, in various positions, she developed and implemented the first ever rating system for community development financial institutions, served as Chief Financial Officer, managed the organization’s financing activities, and provided training and consulting services to CDFIs. Prior to working at Opportunity Finance, Kathy worked at ACCION International for 9 years, during which time she managed a microfinance organization in Costa Rica, helped start microfinance programs in the US, and provided training and consulting services to microfinance organizations in Latin America, Asia and Africa. In addition to the Social Investment Forum, she serves on the Board of the Calvert Foundation.

Meg Voorhes, Treasurer

• Meg Voorhes directs the Social Issues Service of Risk Metrics Group, formerly known as Institutional Shareholder Services. She coordinates research for institutional investors and other clients on environmental and social issues raised by shareholders at portfolio companies, oversees product development and edits Corporate Social Issues Reporter, a monthly journal. She is the author, co-author or editor of numerous books and publications, including The Sweatshop Quandary: Corporate Responsibility on the Global Frontier (1998). For much of her 27-year career, Ms. Voorhes examined the social responsibility issues raised by multinational companies’ investment in South Africa during the apartheid era. She is a member of the Women’s Foreign Policy Group and from 2001 through 2003 served as a judge for Social Accountability International’s Corporate Conscience Award. Ms. Voorhes has a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a Master’s of International Public Policy from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Ingrid Dyott, Appointed Member

• For the past nine years, Ingrid has been an integral part of Neuberger Berman’s socially responsive group. She is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager on the Socially Responsive Investing (SRI) Team. Neuberger Berman’s SRI team manages a 4-star Morningstar rated fund (as of 5/31/06) and separate accounts for both individuals and institutions.  Ingrid is responsible for financial, social and environmental analysis for the SRI portfolio.  In addition Ingrid is an associate portfolio manager of Neuberger Berman’s Guardian Fund.
  
  Before joining the firm in 1997, she was a research analyst at the Council on Economic Priorities; a non profit research organization focusing on corporate social and environmental responsibilities. Ingrid received a B.A. from Bowdoin College and an M.B.A. from Columbia University.  Ingrid is actively involved in the SRI community through various functions and speaking engagements. She is a steering committee member of the Social Investment Forum’s Research Analyst Network. 
  
  She is actively involved in the networks at Lehman Brothers serving on the WILL Steering Committee, IMD’s Diversity Council and co-chairing the WILL IMD committee.

Alisa Gravitz, Appointed Member

• Alisa Gravitz serves as the Executive Director of Co-op America, a national, nonprofit membership organization of conscious consumers, green businesses, and socially responsible investors, dedicated to sustainable practices. Ms. Gravitz has made a significant impact on socially responsible investing over the years, both on the corporate and individual level. She co-authored Co-op America's acclaimed guide to social investing, which more than half a million individual investors have used to invest their money according to their values. Alisa is the 1995 recipient of the Socially Responsible Investing Service award and was recently named one of the six most important people who are changing the way companies think about the environment in the Green Business Letter. Ms. Gravitz earned her B.A. in economics and environmental science from Brandeis University, and her M.B.A. in marketing and finance at Harvard University.

Michael Lent, Appointed Member

• Michael Lent is a financial advisor with Veris Wealth Partners, LLC.  He also serves as Veris’ Chief Investment Officer.  Veris Wealth Partners is an independent wealth management firm founded by five partners who share a deep conviction in the interdependence of values and wealth. Veris believes managing that interdependence with knowledge and wisdom delivers benefits for individuals, companies, and society.

  Michael brings extensive experience in aligning sound investment planning with his clients’ values. Prior to Veris, Michael was the Manager of the New York office of Progressive Asset Management for 13 years. He is a Certified Investment Management Analyst (CIMA) and has held Registered Representative (Series 7) and Registered Principal (Series 24) licenses. Michael specializes in financial consulting for individuals, foundations and non-profit organizations.
  
  Michael is a trustee of The Edward W. Hazen Foundation, a private foundation established in 1925, which seeks to assist young people, particularly minorities and those disadvantaged by poverty, to achieve their full potential as individuals and as active participants in a democratic society. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Lotus Music and Dance, a New York City organization that promotes traditional ethnic dance forms. Michael is a member of the Social Venture Network, and the Investment Management Consultant Association. He is a runner and appreciates the balance that comes from his yoga practice and Alexander table work.

Mary Jane McQuillen, Appointed Member

• Mary Jane McQuillen is the Director of the Socially Aware Investment (SAI) Program for ClearBridge Advisors, a unit of Legg Mason. With this directive, she leads the portfolio management strategies for the various Socially Aware Investment separate account portfolios at ClearBridge. Her responsibilities include integrating ESG research into the stock-selection process for institutional and high net worth client portfolios. Mary Jane has been with the SAI program since 1996, and prior to this, she was an analyst for Smith Barney Harris Upham, Inc.

  Mary Jane is on the Board of Directors for the New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA) is the former Chair and Vice Chair of the Socially Responsible Investing Committee at NYSSA. Mary Jane is a long-standing, active member of the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Asset Management Working Group (AMWG). She is a Steering Committee member of the Social Investment Research Analyst Network (SIRAN).  

  She received her MBA from Columbia Business School, where she serves as Co-Chair of the Bernstein Center on Leadership & Ethics Board. She holds a B.S. in Finance from Fordham University and is an alumna of Columbia University’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC), where she serves on the Alumni Advisory Committee. Mary Jane is a member of Bpeace, a volunteer organization that works to introduce sustainable business skills to women in Rwanda, Afghanistan, and the Middle East.

Amy Muska O’Brien, Appointed Member

• Amy Muska O’Brien, Director of Social Investing at TIAA-CREF, works on a wide range of social and community investing initiatives across TIAA-CREF. Among her responsibilities are overseeing the social screening of such funds as the CREF Social Choice Account, acting as liaison to stakeholders in connection with the company’s social- and community-focused investments, and providing leadership to the company on emerging social responsibility issues.
  
  Amy has over 10 years of social investment experience with a strong focus on environmental issues. She is currently on the Steering Committee of the Social Investment Forum’s International Working Group. Before joining TIAA-CREF in 2005, she was the Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at the United Church of Christ. Previously, Amy was research manager at the Council on Economic Priorities (CEP); Amy served as CEP’s representative to the inaugural Steering Committee of the Global Reporting Initiative. Amy earned a Master’s of Science degree in Environmental Management and Policy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a B.S. from Boston College.

Frank Altman, At-Large Member

• Frank Altman is President and CEO of Community Reinvestment Fund, USA (CRF). CRF is the nation’s leader in bringing capital to public and private nonprofit community development lenders through the secondary market for loans. Prior to founding CRF, Altman served as Assistant Commissioner for Financial Management at the Minnesota Department of Energy and Economic Development, where he administered several loan programs designed to create jobs in energy-related industries, to promote energy conservation in public and private buildings, and to finance manufacturing facilities in small communities. Currently, Altman is Chairman of the New Markets Tax Credit Coalition, a coalition established to initiate the creation of a federal tax credit to encourage private investment in community development. He is Board Chair of the College of Visual Arts and Board Member of the California Association for Local Economic Development and Franklin National Bank.  He serves as an Advisory Committee Member for Wall Street Without Walls and is a Member of the Center for Community Development Securities of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Financial Innovations Roundtable of the University of Southern New Hampshire. Altman received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Brown University and a Masters in Public Affairs from the Humphrey Institute University of Minnesota.

Joanne Dowdell, At-Large Member

• Joanne directs the corporate, social and environmental research, as well as strategy development and implementation of the firm's shareholder activism initiatives. Her professional experience spans over 20 years. Before joining Citizens in 2003, Ms. Dowdell led her own consulting practice where she provided research, business planning and management consulting to companies across a variety of industries. Prior to that she was a Vice President at Washington Business Information, Inc., the premier source of news and information for professionals in the consumer safety, pharmaceutical and medical devices industries. She also held management positions at Congressional Quarterly, Inc. and Government Information Services, Inc. Ms. Dowdell serves on the advisory committee of the Seacoast African American Cultural Center and is on the Board of Directors the Portsmouth Black Heritage Trail. Ms. Dowdell is a graduate of Howard University.

Julie Goodridge, At-Large Member

• Julie Goodridge founded NorthStar Asset Management, Inc. in 1990 to break free from the constraints of traditional money management institutions.  She has been a social investment professional in the Boston area since 1985, and was one of the original members of the Social Investment Forum at its formation.   As CEO and CCO of NorthStar, Ms. Goodridge is responsible for company operations, including the development of compliance policy, social and financial investment strategy, corporate expansion and marketing strategy, and personnel policy.  She oversees all aspects of the investment process, sets portfolio goals, evaluates the diversity of individual stocks on the buy list, researches new ideas for purchase, develops shareholder activism strategies, analyzes broad changes in the economic climate and augments the investment review and selection process through this lens.

  Ms. Goodridge sits on the investment committees of Reynders McVeigh, Boston Common Asset Management/Robert Zevin Investment Advisors, and is the Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee for the New World Foundation.  An activist by nature, Ms. Goodridge was the lead plaintiff in the legal case, Goodridge v. Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health, which won marriage rights for same sex couples in Massachusetts.  Formerly a community organizer for ACORN, she has a B.A. from Boston University and an Ed.M. from Harvard University.

Kathy Leonard, At-Large Member

• Kathy Leonard is a Vice President - Investments at UBS Financial Services, Inc. She has been a Financial Advisor specializing in Socially Responsible Investing since 1983. Prior to working at UBS, she founded and managed The Center for Responsible Investing for the last 12 years.
  
  Before that she worked at EF Hutton and Shearson. Ms Leonard provides her clients with wealth management and consulting services that help individuals, businesses and non-profits integrate their social and financial goals. She is proud of the fact that her clients have committed more than 8% of their portfolios to community investing and has been recognized by the Calvert Foundation as Community Investing Advisor of the Year in 2003 and 2004. In 1991, Kathy was a founding member of the Environmental Council at the Boulder Chamber of Commerce.
  
  Ms. Leonard was also a founding member of the Colorado chapter of Business for Social Responsibility. In 1997, she served as the chair for the Colorado Chapter and was on the board from 1996 to 1998. In addition, she also serves on the finance and investment committees of a number of local and national nonprofit organizations.

Leslie Lowe, At-Large Member  

• Director, Energy & Environment Program, the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). Leslie, an attorney for over 20 years, has been a frequent speaker on issues of environmental law and policy, and on corporate disclosure for professional audiences and the media.  Her work has been published in environmental journals, including Environmental Finance magazine.  A graduate of Harvard Law School, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bennington College, a Masters of Science from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism, and did post-graduate research in economic and social history at the University of Paris.  Prior to joining ICCR, she was Executive Director of the New York City Environmental Justice Alliance (NYCEJA).  Leslie is Chair of the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation’s Board of Directors and Vice Chair of the Weeksville Heritage Center’s Board of Trustees, in addition to serving on the boards of the Social Investment Forum and Housing Works, Inc.

David F. Sand, At-Large Member

• David Sand, President and Chief Investment Officer of Access Capital Strategies, LLC, has over 25 years of experience as a portfolio manager and investment advisor with a focus on investments in underserved communities throughout the country. He was the co-founder and managing director of Commonwealth Capital Partners, Inc., and Commonwealth Capital Strategies, Inc., Cambridge and New York. The latter was a consulting and investment banking firm that specialized in housing, enterprise development, job training and the environment and was involved in a $100 million affordable housing program in Pennsylvania. While Vice President at Shearson Lehman Brothers, New York, Mr. Sand helped build a successful pioneering partnership in socially responsible investment management. He did extensive research and public speaking on issues including investments in companies involved in South Africa, nuclear energy, defense, and environmental issues. He has a special expertise in taxable fixed income trading and sales. Mr. Sand received a BA from Princeton University and a MPA at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

Timothy Smith, Immediate Past Chair

• Tim Smith is the Senior Vice President and Director of Socially Responsive Investment at Walden Asset Management, a division of Boston Trust & Investment Management Company. He manages approximately $1.7 billion for clients seeking to promote corporate change on social, environmental and governance issues. For 29 years Mr. Smith served as Executive Director of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR). ICCR provides research and coordinates action for investors representing portfolios with a net worth of over $125 billion. As Executive Director at ICCR, he was active in meetings and negotiations to promote social shareholder concerns such as diversity in the workplace, ending sweatshops, and improving corporate conduct on the environment and human rights. He continues that work at Walden, providing leadership on shareholder advocacy, community investing, and public policy on both social and corporate governance issues. Mr. Smith currently serves on the board of Shared Interest and has been a board member of Domini Social Equity Fund and chair of the Calvert Advisory Council in the past. He has a M.A. in Divinity from Union Theological Seminary and a B.A. from the University of Toronto.