Press Release updated on Feb 13, 2023
Cornelia Horner, Kunle Apampa, George Suttles, Amita Schultes, and Geri Melchiorre to advise on the Intentional Endowments Network’s strategic direction.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (January 26, 2023) – The Intentional Endowments Network (“IEN”) has broadened its advisory with the addition of five new Steering Committee members. Cornelia Horner, Strategic Initiatives and Communications Lead at University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO) Kunle Apampa, Head of Client Solutions & Partnership at Capricorn Investment Group, George Suttles, Executive Director, Commonfund Institute at Commonfund, Amita Schultes, Partner at Agility Outsourced Chief Investment Officer, and Geri Melchiorre, Senior Director of Investments for the University of Illinois System joined IEN’s Steering Committee. They collectively bring extensive expertise in investment management, with public and private sector experience working with endowments and foundations on sustainability and impact investing.
Prior to joining UVIMCO, Cornelia Horner worked for multiple public affairs firms in Washington, D.C. to advance public policy issues through strategic communications and initiatives. Horner also serves as the primary staff support for UVIMCO’s Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility (ACIR), which serves as a channel between the University of Virginia and UVIMCO on investor responsibility issues.
Kunle Apampa joined Capricorn in 2021. Prior to joining Capricorn, Kunle was Vice President at Goldman Sachs Imprint, an ESG & Impact Investment platform within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. He spent over a decade at Goldman Sachs, holding several leadership roles within the firm’s Global Markets and Finance divisions..
George Suttles brings deep philanthropic experience to IEN as an educator, and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion professional. He currently leads Commonfund’s educational, market research, and professional development activities as the Executive Director of Commonfund Institute. Prior to joining Commonfund, George has served in many leadership roles including as the Vice President, Senior Philanthropic Relationship Manager at U.S. Trust/Bank of America. He also sits on numerous nonprofit boards including Laundromat Project (Chair) and the New York Foundation, where he serves as Treasurer and chair of the investment committee.
Amita Schultes, Ph.D. has been a partner and client portfolio manager at Agility for more than five years, providing outsourced chief investment officer services to endowments, foundations, family offices, corporations and sovereign wealth funds. Previously, Amita was with Colonial Consulting for over 15 years where she provided investment advice to numerous endowments, foundations and pension plans. Agility has developed innovative mission-aligned investing strategies for clients, including implementing the Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s fossil fuel divestment strategy starting in 2014.
“IEN has been a pioneer among mission-aligned investing networks for nearly a decade,” said Amita Schultes, Partner at Agility. “I am delighted to join the Steering Committee in their mission to empower higher education institutions.”
Geri Melchiorre has been in the University of Illinois System’s investment office for more than a decade. She now serves as the Senior Director of Investments. Geri oversees the University System’s combined operating and endowments investment. She also brings four years' experience on operational and investment risk management to IEN’s leadership team. Early in 2022, Geri worked with the IEN team to develop a report on the University System’s mission-aligned investing journey to date: Commitment to Sustainability: Investment Strategies at the University of Illinois System
“IEN’s Steering Committee has been an instrumental part of the Network since its inception in 2014,” said Georges Dyer, Executive Director of IEN, “and the addition of these new members will further strengthen this diverse group, bringing new perspectives and energy from asset owners, allocators, consultants and asset managers.”
IEN’s Steering Committee comprises key leaders in higher education, the investment industry and non-profit organization to serve as the core of the Network to further develop and advance its work. Steering Committee members advise IEN’s strategic direction, identify opportunities for collaboration and contribute expertise to IEN’s programs to supports colleges, universities, and other mission-driven organizations in seeking to enhance long-term financial performance of endowments by aligning investment practices with institutional mission, values, and sustainability goals.
Find the complete list of IEN’s Steering committee members on IEN’s website.
About the Intentional Endowments Network
The Intentional Endowments Network is a non-profit, peer-learning network advancing intentionally designed endowments – those that seek to enhance financial performance by aligning with institutional mission, values, and sustainability goals. Working closely with leading organizations, the network engages leaders and key stakeholders from higher education, foundations, business, and nonprofits. It provides opportunities for learning and education, peer networking, convening, thought leadership and information exchange around a variety of strategies (e.g., ESG integration, impact investing, and shareholder engagement). www.intentionalendowments.org
About Crane
The Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) is a peer learning network of over 200+ asset owners, asset managers, consultants, OCIOs, and nonprofit partners. An initiative of the Crane Institute of Sustainability, IEN works to advance the field of sustainable investing and encourage endowments and institutional investors to allocate capital in a way that creates a low-carbon, equitable, and regenerative economy. It does so through in-person and virtual convenings, resource development, and partnerships. IEN’s premier convening, the Higher Education Leadership Summit, will be held in Coral Gables, FL at the University of Miami, February 5-7, 2023.https://www.intentionalendowments.org/
Contact:
Georges Dyer, Co-founder & Executive Director, Intentional Endowments Network & The Crane Institute of Sustainability