IEN Working Groups meet regularly to advance key strategies in support of the network's goals. Below, is a brief description of the current Working Groups. Some are intended to be long-standing, while others form around specific tasks for a short period of time. If you are interested in participating in existing Working Groups, or forming new ones, please contact us.
- Chair: Heidi Welsh, Sustainable Investments Institute (Si2)
- Dan Mitler, Senior Associate, Shareholder Engagement, Ceres
- Ophir Bruck, Senior US Network Manager, Principles for Responsible Investment
- Sebastian Brinkmann, Head of Business Development, TruValue Labs
- Theodore Casparian, Founder, Sustainable Investing 4 All
- Stuart Dalheim, VP, Shareholder Advocacy, Calvert Investments
- Alice DonnaSelva, Investment Consultant, Prime Buchholz & Associates
- Amy Dine, Director of Advocacy, Terra Alpha
- Christi Electris, Senior Associate, Croatan Institute
- Bennett Freeman, Principal, Independent Consultant
- Gabe Rissman, Student, Yale University's Dwight Hall SRI Fund
- Tim Smith, Director of ESG Shareholder Engagement, Walden Asset Management
- Stephen Viederman, Chair, Finance Committee, Christopher Reynolds Foundation
- Todd Walker, Trustee, Green Mountain College
More details on the Shareholder Engagement Working Group page.
Investing in Clean Energy
Identifying and sharing strategies for colleges and universities to invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy through campus operations and their endowments.
- Chair: Chris O'Brien, Director of Higher Education Programs, Altenex; Lecturer and former Director of Sustainability, American University
- Kevin Brennan, Principal, Equilibrium Capital
- Alex Bernhardt, Head of Responsible Investment, US Mercer
- John Chaimanis, Managing Director, Kendall Sustainable Infrastructrue
- Daniel Dixon, Director, Office of Sustainability, University of Maine
- Amy Farrell, President, Privos Advisory
- Jenny Heeter, Senior Energy Analyst, NREL
- Bracken Hendricks, CEO, Urban Ingenuity
- Nick Hylla, Executive Director, Midwest Renewable Energy Association
- Ken Locklin, Director, Impax Asset Management
- Michele Madia, Director of Education and Partnerships, Second Nature
- Erik Melang, Senior Managing Director, Clean Energy Advisors
- Mark Orlowski, Executive Director, Sustainable Endowments Institute
- Liesel Schwarz, Sustainability Director, Villanova University
- Dave Wallace, Managing Director, Investments, Pomona College
More details on the Clean Energy Working Group page.
Fiduciary Duty & Policy
Developing documents and other vehicles to clarify for higher education trustees how sustainable investing strategies relate to their fiduciary duties, designed for audiences of trustees, presidents, CIO's, and CFO's.
- Chair: Keith Johnson, Chairman, Institutional Investor Legal Services, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.
- Lauren Caplan, Senior Counsel, Klavens Law Group, P.C.
- Stephen Viederman, Chair, Finance Committee, Christopher Reynolds Foundation
- Susan Gary, Professor, University of Oregon Law School
- Sarah Clevland, CEO, Sarah Cleveland Consulting
- Theodore Casparian, Founder, Sustainable Investing 4 All
- Chris Matteini, The Investment Fund for Foundations
- Brooke Purcell, Attorney, Hirschler Fleischer
- Don Trone, Founder & CEO, 3 Ethos
- Isaac Khurgel, Co-founder, ESG Solutions
More details on the Fiduciary Duty & Policy Working Group page.
Trustee Peer-Learning Group
Connecting trustees to create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning among college and university fiduciaries on sustainable investing.
- Joseph Biernat, Trustee, Gettysburg College
- David Dinerman, Trustee, Hampshire College
- Mike Fiorio, Trustee, Northland College
- Don Gould, Trustee, Pitzer College
- George Hanley, Trustee, University of Dayton
- Dick Hurd, Trustee and Chair, Investment Committee, Hampshire College
- Peter Kinder, Trustee, Green Mountain College
- Anthony Rust, Trustee, Warren Wilson College
- Joan Steel, Trustee, Loyola University Chicago
- Carl Vance, Chief Investment Officer, Lewis & Clark College
- Valerie Wayne, Board of Directors, Rockefeller Brothers Fund
More details on the Trustee Peer-Learning Group
Student-Managed Investment Funds
This Working Group connects student managed fund advisors, academics focused on sustainable investing, and students involved in student-managed funds to share best practices and resources to advance sustainable investing curriculum and strategies in each fund.
- Eban Goodstein, Bard Center for Environmental Policy
- Kathy Hipple, Bard Center for Environmental Policy
- Asli Ascioglu, Bryant University
- Mike Phillips, California State University Northridge
- Maureen Downey, Claremont McKenna College
- Shannon Mudd, Haverford College
- Tucker Cadow, Middlebury College
- Robert Engel, Middlebury College
- Cecilia Chapiro, New York University
- Brendan Culliton, New York University
- Sara Minard, Northeastern University
- Kaustubh Bansal, Northeastern University
- Connie Dayina, Northeastern University
- Loretta Gallegos, Center for Social Innovation, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- Abby Ivory, University of Utah
- Liesel Schwarz, Villanova University
- Russell Heller, Yale University
- Cary Krosinsky, Yale University
- Gabe Rissman, Yale University
More details on the Student-Managed Investment Funds Group
To see a list of IEN's past Working Groups, click here.