John is a management consultant with Strategy& Dubai and has an MBA from Columbia Business School. He has a long track record of working in the social impact space in volunteer, leadership and research positions and is passionate about understanding how to better link capital markets to social and environmental impact outcomes. Prior to business school, he worked at Dasra, India’s leading strategic philanthropy firm, providing capacity building support to sector-leading social entrepreneurs and non-profits as they approached transformational scale. Prior to that, he worked in the Aerospace and Defense sector and has an undergraduate degree in Mechanical engineering.

Justin is the Relationship Officer at Calvert Foundation, a nonprofit provider of innovative financial products and services that channel affordable capital to underserved communities and markets. Justin managed the Community Investing Program of Co-op America and the Social Investment Forum, where he was instrumental in helping build the overall demand for community investing. He has worked in Hong Kong on labor issues, spent time in Central America with economic development projects, and has a degree in Sociology and Statistics from James Madison University.

Justin currently serves on the Board of Co-op America, a national nonprofit dedicated to creating a just and sustainable society by harnessing economic power for positive change.

Read Eldred retired after a forty-year career in sales, customer service and marketing. His career was characterized by his success instigating and implementing various aspects of these disciplines. He takes special pride in knowing that good hiring decisions were at the root of his success. During his career, he worked exclusively for family owned businesses, most of them small and several of them start-ups. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1972. Read has traveled in West Africa as well as Central and South America giving him the opportunity to see the economic challenges faced by much of the world’s population. Envest is an organization with an exciting and compelling mission that presents an opportunity to participate in addressing these challenges.

Nick worked as Director of Operations from July 2018 to April 2019. He joined the advisory board after stepping off the management team.  Prior to working with Envest, he held a number of positions in both the public and private sectors where he focused on international trade and agricultural development. He has experience in East and Southern Africa, and is committed to promoting economic opportunity in developing markets through microfinance.

Ruth Kaseregenyi is a microfinance professional with an interest in financial inclusion. She worked directly with smallholder farmers in Western Uganda as the General Manager of former Envest partner Rushere SACCO. Ruth led Rushere for twelve years (2006-2018) before moving to North Carolina, USA. During her tenure at Rushere, Ruth built relationships with development partners including Envest.  She spearheaded the organizational transition from using manual ledger cards and calculators to using a computerized management information system with internet banking that a SACCO member can access from any part of the world. Ruth also consulted for Oradian, a microfinance software company based in Zagreb, Croatia, to carry out extensive market research in Uganda and Kenya. She holds a Bachelors’ Degree in Business Administration and a postgraduate diploma in Financial Management. She has also had further microfinance education from a variety of institutes around the world. She is deeply involved in and very passionate about the microfinance industry because she has seen it change people’s lives, especially the economically active but unbanked population.

Mirzo Khashimov works for one of the largest banks in the US. He has Business Finance and Banking degree from University of Nebraska Mirzo is originally from Tajikistan and is fluent in English, Russian and Tajik. His understanding of the business and banking culture in both Tajikistan coupled with his experience in international banking gives him a valuable perspective from which to contribute to Envest’s mission.

Andy is a Certified Financial Planner® and expert in community investments. Andy and his wife, Susan Taylor, run the financial planning firm Just Money Advisors in Louisville, Kentucky, which serves clients in more than 25 states. Andy is a lifelong social activist who has won multiple awards for community investment work. Andy is a member of Natural Investments, a boutique investment advisory network that is well known for its dedication to combining attractive financial returns with environmental sustainability and social justice. Natural Investments approved Envest for recommendation to clients of the network in 2013 largely due to Andy’s recommendation and diligent effort. His financial insights and passion for social justice will be an excellent addition to the Envest team.

Malaika Maphalala, CPWA®, is a Private Wealth Advisor with Natural Investments LLC, an SEC registered, nationwide Investment Advisory firm providing portfolio management for individuals and institutions using exclusively socially responsible and green investments. Malaika’s investment approach with her clients mirrors her strong personal dedication to sustainable communities, regenerative agriculture, social justice, and alleviation of global poverty.

She is committed to using sound financial and economic principals to create a positive change in the world while building a secure financial future for her clients. Envest’s focus on providing access to credit to the world’s low-income population fits Malaika’s vision perfectly.  Malaika joined the Envest Advisory Board in May 2016, after years of participating in meetings and providing guidance.

Mel is Chief Economist of First Affirmative Financial Network, LLC (FAFN), a nationwide network of socially responsible investment advisers headquartered in Colorado Springs. He also serves as a member of the First Affirmative Investment Committee. Mel was the Chief Investment Officer for Heartland Financial USA, Inc. for 28 years before joining FAFN. He has recently moved to Madison, Wisconsin with his wife Marie. Mel’s deep insights into economics and financial markets, his strong commitment to social responsible investing and social justice, and his slightly warped sense of humor will be excellent additions to the Envest community.

Julia Glad Pooler first became involved with Envest through a business class at the UW when Envest was just beginning. Immediately sold on Envest’s microfinance vision, she became intensely involved with Envest during its early development, leading initial marketing and communications and meeting with some of Envest’s first MFI partners in Nicaragua.  Since then she has worked in the nonprofit sector in communications and earned her MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.  She is delighted to return to Envest to help with Envest’s expanding marketing opportunities.

Anna transitioned into the role of Latin American Regional Representative from Director of Marketing in July of 2017. She began working with Envest during the fall of 2016 as an intern. Anna is passionate about the positive social and environmental changes microfinance is creating in developing markets. Before joining Envest, Anna worked in both Brazil and Chile with a focus on market analysis and international trade.

She graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a BBA in Marketing and a certificate in Spanish.

Jennifer will be volunteering with Envest and using her financial background from Loyola University Chicago to help Envest, as we move forward. She was a US advisor with Global Brigades that worked on a water extension project in rural Honduras that helped prevent communicable diseases in communities that have limited access to clean water and has also traveled to Guatemala and Ghana.

Jennifer currently works at Madison College as a Purchasing Analyst and Accounting Specialist and is excited to continue on working on projects that empower individuals in defeating the cycle of poverty.

Holly initially joined Envest as Director of Operations until returning to her hometown of Minneapolis in 2018 at which time she joined Envest’s advisory board. Prior to joining Envest, Holly worked in the commercial real estate industry. She is currently Finance Manager for The Nature Conservancy’s MN/ND/SD chapter and remains passionate about microfinance as a sustainable contributor to the eradication of global poverty. She holds BA degrees in Economics and French.

David is a doctoral student in the political science department at Columbia University. His research interests include comparative authoritarianism, international political economy, and democratization in post-communist Eurasia and Iran. He is the coauthor of Under Siege: Inter-ethnic Relations in De Facto Abkhazia, as well as articles in the Journal of International Affairs, Journal on Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe, and Vestnik: The Journal of Russian and Asian Studies. He is currently working on several projects concerning legislative institutions under autocracy in Russia and Georgia.

Lili Tangwall joined the Envest advisory board in the fall of 2020. She started her microfinance career by helping rural families in her native Moldova form and grow financial cooperatives and find ways for the poor to gain financial independence. Lili’s previous work at World Council of Credit Unions included collaboration with credit unions, their associations, regulators and young leaders. She is currently the membership director with the International Credit Union Regulators’ Network where she builds capacity for regulators to help strengthen institutions and protect members’ savings. Lili speaks French, Romanian and Russian and has worked in 15 countries.

Ann joined Envest’s Advisory Board in the fall of 2012. An associate Professor for the Wisconsin School of Business, she is interested in resource management with a particular focus on the emergence and diffusion of clean technologies, and environmental management practices. Ann has provided invaluable input to Envest on an informal basis for several years. We are delighted to welcome Ann to the Advisory Board and recognize her contribution to Envest.