MANAGEMENT TEAM

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Chinmay Bhat

IT Consultant

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Jon Bishop

CEO and Founder

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Laura Dreese

Director of Strategy

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Annette Ecila

East Africa Regional Representative

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Bob Helmuth

Impact & Development Strategist

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Francis Soza Huete

Latin America Regional Representative

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Sarah Herndon

Director of Operations

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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Sarah Herndon

Director of Operations

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Kevin Egolf

Treasurer

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Chinmay Bhat

IT Consultant

ADVISORY BOARD

John Cheriyan

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 Conway

Justin ConwayJustin Conway is Vice President of Investment Partnerships at Calvert Impact Capital, an impact investment firm helping people and institutions invest for racial, gender, economic, and climate justice. Justin manages the Community Investment Note program and the Investor Relations team that has supported over 20,000 investors and financial professionals on their impact investing journeys. He also sits on the Staff Investment Committee, and led Calvert Impact Capital’s subsidiary investment advisor in providing customized portfolio services to institutional investors.

Prior to Calvert Impact Capital, Justin managed the Community Investment Program of the Social Investment Forum and Green America. Before that he worked on human and economic rights in both Asia and Central America. He received a Master’s in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s in Sociology and Statistics from James Madison University.

Justin currently serves on the board of Aeris, which is focused on driving transparency and accountability in impact investing, and on advisory committees for the Global Impact Investing Network, US SIF, and Envest Microfinance Cooperative. He has also served on the boards of US SIF, the association of financial professionals engaged in ESG and impact investing, and Green America, dedicated to harnessing our economic power to create a sustainable world. He lives and plays in Washington DC with his amazing wife and daughter.

Read Eldred

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 Engen

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.

Iyassu Essayas

Iyassu Essayas is the founder of E&I Consulting Services and has spent over a decade in the responsible investing field. E&I Consulting Services partners with clients seeking to develop strategies incorporating sustainable, responsible and impact investing into their internal programs and policies. He is also a board member and Vice Chair of USSIF – The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment.

Iyassu was previously the Director of ESG Research at Parnassus Investments. He was responsible for oversight of the development and implementation of Parnassus’s responsible investment policy as well as the integration of environmental, social, and governance research into the firm’s investment process. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of San Francisco.

Mirzo Khashimov

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.

Jennifer Lazarus

Jennifer LazurusJennifer Lazarus, CFP®, owns Lazarus Financial Planning, 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 MFIs in recognition of local management’s capabilities and insight.

Andy Loving

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

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 Miller

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

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 Schaefer

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.

Holly Skog

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 Szakonyi

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.

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.