Thursday, April 3, 2014
3:00-6:30 p.m. Check-in at Cambridge Marriott
5:30-6:30 p.m. Welcome Reception
6:30-9:00 p.m. Opening Dinner
- 7:20 p.m. Welcome, Purpose, and Context: Jonathan Lash, President, Hampshire College
- 7:40 p.m. Keynote speaker: Robert Litterman, Kepos Capital, chairman, Risk Committee
Friday, April 4, 2014
7:30-8:15 a.m. Breakfast
Keynote Speaker: Jonathan Greenblatt, the White House, Special Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation in the Domestic Policy Council
(8:15-8:30 a.m. Break)
8:30-9:15 a.m. Opening: Context and Conference Overview
Conversation Catalyst: Tony Cortese, senior fellow, Second Nature
Set the tone and context for the day by framing the agenda in terms of the participants' burning questions and initiating the conversation, with introductory table discussions about why you are here and what you want out of the day's conversation.
Format: Presentation/Peer-to-peer conversation
9:15-10:10 a.m. An Overview of ESG Investing: History, Trends, and Effectiveness
Conversation Catalysts:
- Thomas Kuh, MSCI
- Chris McKnett, State Street Global Advisors
- Tim Smith, Walden Asset Management
- Moderator: Adam Seitchik, Arjuna Capital
Overview of ESG investing historically, current, and future trends
- How values get translated into investment decisions; the function of an investment policy statement; and the concept of positive and negative screens
- Making the fiduciary case for ESG investing
- Illustrative examples of ESG strategies with superior performance
- Long-term qualitative and quantitative benefits/costs of implementing an ESG portfolio, e.g., concept of investment risks
- Conceptual/organizational barriers to ESG investing and how to address them
Format: Panel; interactive discussion with conference participants
10:10-10:40 a.m. ESG Investing Implementation: Where are you and where would you like to go?
Conversation Catalyst: Jonathan Lash, President, Hampshire College
A peer-to-peer conversation to learn the spectrum of experience in the room and highlight key questions, issues, and themes that can be revisited throughout the day.
Format: Peer-to-peer conversations
(10:30-10:45 Break)
10:55-11:55 a.m. Investment Risks and Options: The Climate Case and Beyond
Conversation Catalysts:
- Geeta Aiyer, Boston Common Asset Management
- Alice DonnaSelva, Prime Bucholz
- Kenneth Locklin, Impax Asset Management
- Mark Orlowski, Sustainable Endowments Institute
- Moderator: Chris Davis, Ceres
An overview of strategies for assessing sustainability risks and options for addressing them, viewed through the lens of the climate change issue:
- Stranded asset risks
- Carbon, climate, and other risk assessment
- Low carbon investing strategies
- Dealing with commingled funds and alternative investments
Format: Interactive panel discussion with conference participants
11:55-12:45 p.m. Lunch: Small group conversations with peers and conversations catalysts
(12:45-1:00 p.m. Break)
1:00-1:45 p.m. Sustainable Investing and the Responsible Fiduciary
- Jay Youngdahl, The Youngdahl Law Firm
- Susan Gary, University of Oregon School of Law
- Keith Johnson, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.
- Moderator: David Dinerman, CFO of ZoMazz, Inc., Hampshire College Trustee
A panel of experts will share the latest thinking on what fiduciary responsibility is and what it allows.
Format: Panel; interactive discussion with conference participants
1:45-3:15 p.m. Creating Productive Dialogue Across Stakeholder Groups: A Peer-to-Peer Conversation
- Lynn Pasquerella, President, Mount Holyoke College; Daphne Chang, Student, Mount Holyoke College
- Steve Hietsch, Associate Vice President for Financial Operations and Auxiliary Services, Dickinson College
- Patrick Norton, Vice President for Finance and Treasurer, Middlebury College (Invited)
- Jonathan Scott, Veritable, LP, former Hampshire College trustee
- Moderators: Georges Dyer, Second Nature; Dan Apfel, Responsible Endowments Coalition
An opportunity for participants to discuss the challenges and potential solutions to having open, productive dialogue on aligning investment practices with institutional values that includes all perspectives within the college or university: administrators, trustees, students, faculty, staff, alumni, community partners, and investment managers. Conversation catalysts (senior leaders from 4 colleges and universities) will initiate discussions. Participants will work in groups to provide input of effective dialogue and decision-making strategies.
Format: peer-to-peer conversations
(3:15-3:30 p.m. Break)
3:30-5:00 p.m. Closing Plenary and Next Steps
An opportunity to create individual and group plans for going forward including identifying resource needs and potential collaborators. Define what role, if any, you would like to play in local, regional, and national efforts to further ESG investing by higher education and private foundations.
Format: Peer-to-peer conversations and group summary
5-7 p.m. Networking Reception at the hotel