BOARD MEMBERS EMERITUS
Francisco Aguilar
Francisco is Assistant Professor of Forest Economics, School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri. Dr. Aguilar holds a Ph.D. in Forest Products Marketing and Economics from LSU. His experience includes working with a non-profit NGO supporting low-income communities in his native Guayaquil, Ecuador, participating in a multidisciplinary group to study the interaction of sustainability, community development and spirituality in India and Sri Lanka, promotion of the use of biogas and organic farming; and working for the Office of the First Lady in the Ecuadorian Government as a specialist in sustainable farming systems.
Richard Brooks
Co-founder of the Little Free Library movement and the Dane Buy Local network of independently owned businesses in Madison, Rick was also board chair of Sarvodaya USA, which supports grassroots development in Sri Lanka and Nepal. He has also served as chair or board member of WI SHARE, a three-state community building and food security network, WI Positive Youth Development, WI Partners for SustainAbility. He was the first board chair of Envest Microfinance.
For two decades Rick was Outreach Program Manager in Continuing Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, teaching facilitating health and social change and providing consultation to commercial and non-profit groups.
Georgette Frazer
Georgette Frazer was elected to the Envest Board of Directors at the Envest Microfinance Cooperative annual meeting in November 2012 and served in the board until 2016. Georgette has been involved with Envest since its in founding in 2006. Her role has been crucial in planning and executing the vision and strategy of Envest.
Georgette founded an investment advisory firm specializing in socially responsible investing affiliated with First Affirmative Financial Network which she operated for 21 years until her retirement in 2012. Previously, she was an associate professor of business and economics at the University of Wisconsin-Marshfield for sixteen years. She remains active as a consultant and advocate of impact investing. She has been active in numerous civic organizations in Marshfield, Wisconsin.
Kathryn Hankard
Kathy is a certified financial planning advisor and owner of Fiscal Fitness, LLC., a financial coaching and planning firm located in Verona, Wisconsin, just outside of Madison. She is a member of The Garrett Planning Network, a nationwide network of professional, fee-only financial advisors.
Ms. Hankard holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin and worked in systems programming and software engineering before earning her Certificate of Financial Planning in 2002.
Jennifer Lazarus
Jennifer Lazarus, CFP®, owns Lazarus Financial Planning, LLC, a fee-only financial planning firm for socially responsible investors in their twenties to fifties. She collaborates with her clients to develop and manage a tailored, cohesive financial strategy based on what matters most to them. She most enjoys helping people reach a place of empowerment and financial calm.
Formerly a Peace Corps volunteer in Chad, Jennifer especially values how Envest partners with its microfinance institutions in recognition of local management’s capabilities and insight.
Sergio Loureiro
Sergio is a partner with Autonomous Mind, a locally-owned communication and planning consulting firm in Madison, WI. Autonomous Mind specializes in providing communication and business planning services to small businesses and organizations, with a focus on sustainability and renewable energy.
Mr. Loureiro worked previously in the U.S. financial industry and in the consumer goods industry in Europe. He holds a degree in engineering from Universidade Católica, Porto, Portugal, and a MBA from University of Wisconsin – Madison. He has held board positions in various non-profit organizations over the years.
Paul Sager
Paul directs the implementation and operation of SAP supply chain software at Spectrum Brands. He has managed business implementations in North America, Asia and Europe in industrial, retail and high-tech verticals for nearly a decade. A business graduate of the University of Toledo, he has expertise in the business, financial and technical aspects of supply chain management. Paul has extensive travel experience in the developing world including Asia, Latin America, Middle East and Africa and has seen the benefits that small loans can bring to individuals and their communities. He volunteers with the Sierra Club and Dane County Farmers Market.