Justin is vice president of investment partnerships at Calvert Impact Capital, an impact investment firm focused on investing in  racial, gender, economic, and climate justice. Justin manages the Community Investment Note program and the Investor Relations team that supports over 20,000 investors and financial professionals. He serves on the Staff Investment Committee, and led Calvert Impact Capital’s subsidiary investment advisor in providing customized portfolio services to institutional investors. Justin has a Master’s in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s in Sociology and Statistics from James Madison University.

Julia 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.

Mel has retired from his position of chief economist of First Affirmative Financial Network, a nationwide network of socially responsible investment advisers headquartered in Colorado Springs. Mel was the chief investment officer for Heartland Financial USA for 28 years. He has recently moved to Madison, WI 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.

Malaika is a private wealth advisor with Natural Investments LLC, an investment advisory firm providing portfolio management by 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.

Andy is a Certified Financial Planner® and expert in community investments. Together with his wife he runs a financial planning firm 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. He is a member of Natural Investments, an investment advisory network dedicated to environmental sustainability and social justice.

Mirzo has worked for years for one of the largest banks in the US. He has a business finance and banking degree from the 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 and the U.S. coupled with his experience in international banking gives him a valuable perspective from which to contribute to Envest’s mission.

Iyassu is the founder of E&I Consulting Services and has spent over a decade in the responsible investing field. He advises clients seeking to incorporate sustainable, responsible and impact investing into their internal programs and policies. He is also a board member and Vice Chair of USSIF. Iyassu was previously the Director of ESG Research at Parnassus Investments. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of San Francisco.

Nick worked as Envest’s director of operations from July 2018 to April 2019. He then joined the advisory board so he can be part of the Envest community as a volunteer.  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.

Read retired after a forty-year career in sales, customer service and marketing. 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, Central and South America to see the economic challenges faced by much of the world’s population. Envest presents an opportunity to participate in addressing these challenges.

Anna joined Envest in 2016 as an intern and then transitioned into the role of marketing director. A year later she was the Latin American Regional Representative and working closely with MFIs. 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.

Holly initially was part of 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 also had the role of finance manager for the Nature Conservancy’s MN/ND/SD chapter. Holly remains passionate about microfinance as a sustainable contributor to the eradication of global poverty. She holds BA degrees in Economics and French.

David is an assistant professor of political science at George Washington University. His research interests include comparative authoritarianism, international political economy, and democratization in post-communist Eurasia and Iran. He is the coauthor of the book “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 has worked on several projects concerning legislative institutions under autocracy in Russia and Georgia.