Investing for
Climate Change

Event Highlights Video

Impact Climate Video

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Link to be provided to registered guests.

Impact Public Service Fund, in consultation with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, invites you to an important discussion on climate change ahead of Climate Week NYC. We’ll be hearing from investors, scientists, thought-leaders and innovators about how climate change is a fundamental challenge to civilization and the role of private sector actors in tackling this challenge. This riveting and provocative discussion will challenge your views about our planet’s future and help you think about your investment strategies.

Our Speakers

JEFF GITTERMAN

GITTERMAN WEALTH MANAGEMENT

ELODIE TIMMERMANS

ERNST YOUNG

TONY LENT

CAPITAL FOR CLIMATE

GEETA AIYER, CFA

BOSTON COMMON ASSET MANAGEMENT

BOB LITTERMAN

GOLDMAN SACHS + KEPOS CAPITAL

RADLEY HORTON

PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

EMILIE MAZZACURATI

FOUR TWENTY SEVEN

Our Hosts

MICHAEL KOPKO

IMPACT

REKIA FOUDEL

IMPACT

PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS

Fintech
CLIMATE CHANGE INCREASINGLY POSES ONE OF THE BIGGEST LONG-TERM THREATS TO INVESTMENTS.
Figueres

Poker For Charity

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Hours
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What to Expect

We are coming together as a community to help rebuild both big and small. During a fractured time, people are paramount. This community is special not only because of the individuals and the companies standing behind us but the causes we all care about. Chip in and show up for your friends, the mission, the poker, and the prospect of us all coming back together in person again. There’s a lot to rebuild. Let’s make a dent together.

Charity Co-Hosts

Fast Facts

50 Players competing for a good cause and 5 great prizes.

2 Rounds about 1 hour each. Winners from Round 1 go to the Final Table.

Texas Hold ’em no Limit. All proceeds go to charity. Prizes donated by sponsors.

Non-profits are the host. All proceeds go to 501(c) 3s to support their programming.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONPONSORS!

A special thank you to our sponsor Nifty Gateway for donating original crypto art Venus by Steven Baltay. 

Link

Estimated value +$600

Interview with the co-Founder of Nifty Gateway and the Artist: 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CD1ne_GniLX/?igshid=serimkoigaxt

Venus by Steven Baltay.

Because you've asked...

If you’d like to sit with a player or group of players you can. Just email us at mike@impactny.org with the names of the players in your group. 

The Impact Public Service Fund and Girls to Grandmasters are the non-profit hosts of this event. Proceeds support their organizations. Consult your accountant on deductibility of your support.  We’re happy to provide a letter!

Poker & Charity Pros Playing Include:

Dakota Diggs
Alydaar Rangwala
Andrew Salamon 
Gabriel Drapos
Sandesh Kataria
Duncan Cock Foster
Danny  Rohde
Nicole Maffeo
Sid Sathe
Ethan  Wolf

Nic Poulos
Craig Reeson
Gary Bornstein
Liam Roecklein
Rob Puff
Tiffany Wong
Michael Puff
Jake Esse
Karsten McVay
Michael Kopko

Last Year's Chess for Charity Event Highlights

The Stimulus Package Uncovered

A Free Webinar by Impact with the Former Head of the U.S. Small Business Administration

A Guide for Small Businesses to the CARES Act 

Our Stimulus Package Experts

Maria Contreras-Sweet

Former Head of U.S. Small Business Administration

Ann Marie Mehlum

US SBA Former Head of the Office of Capital Access

Questions for our Experts?

Special Thanks to Our Partners

Civil Discourse In The Age Of Digital Media And Its Impact On Young Civic Leaders

The prevalence of digital media in today’s social discourse has polarized our society and made communication between ideological opponents exceedingly difficult. This trend has a great effect on young people who will soon vote in their first or second election and who will be conditioned in a culture that values confirmation bias over civil discourse. This event hosted by Impact NYC’s Rising Leader Board will explore how media and a polarized political climate impact the outlook of young people in their chosen sources of information, their willingness to engage in debate with those who have different views than their own, and their approach to communicating with people in power.

Panelists

Meenakshi Krishnan

Legal Fellow, Knight Institute at Columbia University

Meenakshi Krishnan is a legal fellow at the Knight First Amendment Institute. She received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she helped litigate First Amendment and freedom of information cases as a Student Director of the Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic. She was also an Executive Editor of the Yale Law Journal and the Co-President of the Yale Law & Technology Society. During law school, Meenakshi worked for the Wikimedia Foundation, National Public Radio’s Office of the General Counsel, and Jenner & Block. After graduating, she clerked for the Hon. James A. Wynn, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. A Fulbright scholar, Meenakshi received her B.A. in History and Political Science from Wake Forest University and her M.Phil. in International Relations and Politics from the University of Cambridge.

Marissa Muñoz

Northeast Director at Young Invincibles

Marissa Muñoz is the Northeast Director of the Young Invincibles where she is leading the organization’s policy advocacy efforts to increase opportunities for young adults. Prior to this role, Marissa served as the Senior Director of Education Policy at the Hispanic Federation, advancing New York City and State policies that support the achievement of Latinos in both P-12 and higher education.

She is passionate about increasing college and career readiness opportunities for young people and has worked to increase programs and policies that support postsecondary success through her work at the College Board and the New York City Department of Education. Marissa holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MPA from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Laura Fisher

Senior Technical Program Manager at Twitter

Laura is a Sr. TPM for Global Civic Integrity at Twitter. Self-described as a scrappy, resourceful and passionate leader in product, strategy and operations, she currently runs programs that have global impact working on Civic Integrity, Health and Regulatory programs. In addition to her day job, Laura also has a ‘gay job’ as the Global Co-Chair of @TwitterOpen, the LGBTQIA+ employee group at Twitter

Josh Lafazan

Legislator, 18th District of the Nassau County Legislature

Legislator Josh Lafazan, at 23 years of age, became Nassau County’s youngest-ever legislator upon his election to the Nassau County Legislature in November of 2017. He is currently serving his first term, where he represents Nassau’s 18th Legislative District as an Independent. Josh graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a Master’s Degree in Education Policy and Management in May 2017, and from the Cornell University ILR School with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial and Labor Relations in May 2016.

Our Sponsor

Civic Hall

Impact Public Service Fund Rising Leaders Board

Impact NYC is a non-profit organization that brings together a community of civically engaged citizens to participate in objective dialogue about our society’s most pressing issues. The newly formed, Rising Leaders Board is focused on elevating the voices and concerns of the next generation of civic leaders and finding new pathways for these leaders to bring about positive social change. 

Location

Flip The Switch

Michelle Paige Patterson

Michelle R. Paige Paterson Was The First Lady Of New York State. The Wife Of New York Governor David Paterson, She Became The First Lady On March 17, 2008, When Her Husband Was Sworn In As Governor, Following The Resignation Of Eliot Spitzer.

Lord Jack McConnell

Jack Wilson McConnell, Baron McConnell Of Glenscorrodale, PC Is A Scottish Politician And A Labour Life Peer In The House Of Lords. He Was The First Minister Of Scotland From 2001 To 2007. He Was The Member Of The Scottish Parliament For Motherwell And Wishaw From 1999 To 2011.

Mariane Pearl

Mariane Van Neyenhoff Pearl Is A French Freelance Journalist And Former Reporter And Columnist. For Glamour Magazine. She Is The Widow Of Daniel Pearl, An American Journalist Who Was The Southeast Asia Bureau Chief For The Wall Street Journal. He Was Kidnapped And Murdered By Terrorists In Pakistan In Early 2002, During The Early Months Of The United States’ War On Terror.

Ian Vasquez

IIan Vásquez Is The Director Of The Cato Institute’s Center For Global Liberty And Prosperity. His Articles Have Appeared In Newspapers Throughout The United States And Latin America, And He Is A Columnist At El Comercio (Peru). He Is The Co-Author Of The Human Freedom Index And Has Testified Numerous Times In The U.S. Congress On Economic Development Issues.

Chidinma Achebe – Moderator

Chi Was The First Program Manager Of The Anzisha Prize, A Pan-African Entrepreneurship Award Created By The African Leadership Academy And The MasterCard Foundation. She Led Strategy Development, Executed Marketing Initiatives In 12 African Countries. Chi Founded ResSpot, A Global 911 “Uber For Emergency Response” App. Prior To Her Work In South Africa, Chi Was An Account Strategist At Google.She Is An MBA Candidate At Columbia Business School And Holds A BA With Distinction From University Of Pennsylvania.

Eda Henries

Eda Is A Principal At Persistent. Eda Has Over 10 Years Of Entrepreneurship And Investment Banking Advisory Experience In The U.S. And Africa. She Was Previously A Vice President In The Global Power And Utilities Group Of Citigroup’s Investment Banking Division. She Also Co-Founded Businesses In The Food Service And Agribusiness Sectors In West Africa. She Holds An MBA From Columbia Business School And A BS In Foreign Service From Georgetown University.

Performance by Piera Van de Wiel

Piera Van De Wiel Is An Actor, Singer And Entrepreneur. As A Singer She Has Released An Original Single Called “It’s Complicated” With Canadian Music Producer Steve Barakatt With Press In Broadway World, Yahoo, And Europa Press. She Is Also The Founder Of The Collective Stronger With Music.

Cheryl Dorsey, CEO of Echoing Green

Approaches to Development

Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point. Its utility is entirely in building an organization and getting the resources out to the poorest in the world.
Bill Gates
Bill Gates

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Barefoot College
Impact New York
Hogan Lovells
Columbia Business School
Bold Business
Hylas
Archie.io

Workplace Automation

Impact NYC hosted the Impact Jobs events. We’ve discussed all sides of workplace automation. Our panel of artificial intelligence, robotics and automation experts engaged a lively discussion at We Work Bryant Park, 54 W. 40th St. at 7:00pm. Read the Issue Brief and see more on the Jobs Issues page.

 

David Ferrucci

Inventor IBM Watson

With decades of experience in AI, Dr. Ferrucci built and led the IBM Watson team from its inception through its landmark Jeopardy success in 2011 when Watson defeated the greatest Jeopardy! players of all time. He has worked with Bridgewater’s Founder Ray Dalio to develop cutting edge data models and runs Elemental Cognition.

Liz Shuler

Secretary-Treasurer AFL-CIO

Elizabeth H. Shuler is an American labor activist and, since September 16, 2009, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO. She is the first woman and (as of 2009) the youngest person to hold the position of Secretary-Treasurer. She is the highest-ranking woman in the labor federation’s history.

James Bessen

Professor Boston University Law

James Bessen is an economist and Lecturer at Boston University School of Law since 2004. Previously he was a CEO of a software company. Bessen was also a Fellow at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Bessen researches the economics of innovation, including patents and economic history and is a graduate of Harvard College.

Heidi Shierholz

Fmr. Chief Economist Dept. of Labor

Heidi Shierholz was Chief Economist to the U.S. Secretary of Labor, serving under Secretary Thomas Perez in the Obama Administration. Shierholz leads the Economic Policy Institute’s policy team, which monitors wage and employment policies coming out of Congress and the administration and advances a worker-first policy agenda.

Andrew Yang

Entrepreneur & Democratic Candidate for President 2020

Andrew is an American entrepreneur, the Founder of Venture for America, and a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate. He has worked in startups and early stage growth companies as a founder or executive for nearly two decades. He is the author of Smart People Should Build Things, published by HarperCollins, and The War on Normal People, about automation of labor.

Music by The Rockaways

Max Landry & Steve Powers

Steve Powers & Max Landry are emerging musical superstars who have amassed millions of streams, headlined shows across the world, and support from some of the biggest names in music like Tiesto, Hardwell, Nicky Romero, as well as performing with the likes of Afrojack, Avicii, and Armin Van Buuren.

“Activities most susceptible to automation include physical ones in predictable environments, such as operating machinery and preparing fast food. Collecting and processing data are two other categories of activities that increasingly can be done better and faster with machines. This could displace large amounts of labor—for instance, in mortgage origination, paralegal work, accounting, and back-office transaction processing.”

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

Bold Business’ mission is simple – To encourage, communicate and enable Bold Business Ideas and Actions that Build a Better World. We believe that Bold Ideas lead to Bold Actions that deliver amazing Societal Impact.

Bold Business
Kang Health
Better
lavit

Criminal Justice Reform

The culmination of a 6-month effort to highlight issues surrounding prison reform. Read the Issue Brief and see more on the Prison Reform Issues page.

RSVP

Jeff Gitterman

GITTERMAN WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Jeff Gitterman is a co-founding partner of Gitterman Wealth Management, LLC, and a thought leader in the field of Sustainable, Impact, and ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Investing.

He is the creator of his firm’s SMART (Sustainability Metrics Applied to Risk Tolerance)® Investing Services, which offer investment opportunities for individual clients, as well as research and investing services for other financial professionals in the Sustainable, ESG, and Impact arenas. Noted as an “ESG expert” by Financial Advisor magazine, Jeff has also been featured in the past in Money Magazine, Barron’s, Morningstar Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and Affluent Magazine, among many others. Most recently, he was named RIA “Thought Leader of the Year” by WealthManagement.com.

Under Jeff’s leadership and direction, Gitterman Wealth Management has also served as the host of the 2018 Sustainable Investing Conference at the United Nations, as well as the 2016 and 2017 NYC Sustainable Investing Conferences. Jeff deeply believes that the migration of investor capital towards more Sustainable, Impact, and ESG investments is one of, if not the most effective way to help realize the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and he is committed to helping both investors and other financial professionals navigate the rapidly growing Sustainable, Impact, and ESG Investing landscape.

Elodie Timmermans

ERNST YOUNG

Elodie is a Senior Manager Climate Change and Sustainability Services at Ernst & Young, focused on the Financial Sector. Elodie has more than 10 years of experience serving clients by addressing their environmental, social and governance (ESG) challenges in both an audit and advisory capacity. Being mostly focused on the financial sector, she works with a number of public and private companies in the banking, insurance, wealth and asset management sector. As a trusted business advisor, Elodie helps her clients successfully develop and transform their ESG and sustainability strategies, stakeholder engagement, outcome measurement methodologies, as well as their internal and external disclosures to further align with their companies’ visions, strategies and stakeholders and shareholders expectations.

Elodie started her career with EY Climate Change and Sustainability services in the Netherlands before joining the US practice in 2013 after successfully completed engagements in various countries in Europe and in the America’s. Her experience provides her clients and colleagues with a unique perspective on global and local ESG issues and opportunities that they encounter on a daily basis.

Elodie is passionate about ESG and sustainable development and sharing current and emerging market trends. She currently co-leading the EY global sustainable impact hub, which provides leading-edge thinking and insights relevant to organizations and businesses that are seeking to create impact and accelerate their organizational journey.

Elodie earned a Post-doctorale Master in Corporate Social Responsibility Management and Auditing from Erasmus University Rotterdam and a Master of Science Sustainable Development from the University of London.

TONY LENT

CAPITAL FOR CLIMATE

Tony Lent is a Co-Founder at Capital for Climate and a seasoned investor in the clean energy and resource efficiency industries with 25 years of experience in advisory and senior principal investing roles. Prior to Capital for Climate, Tony was a Senior Managing Director at Wolfensohn Fund Management, an emerging markets private equity fund manager concentrating on clean energy and financial services, in India, Brazil, and Eastern Europe. Prior to Wolfensohn, he was Co-founder and Managing Director of US Renewables Group, a $750M private equity fund focused on renewables and low carbon energy in North America. At USRG, Mr. Lent catalyzed the formation of the investment team and led renewables development and technology commercialization investments.

Tony has an MBA in technology management from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and a BS in Biology from Tufts University focused in molecular biology.

GEETA AIYER, CFA

BOSTON COMMON ASSET MANAGEMENT

Geeta Aiyer combines over 30 years of experience in finance, with passion for environmental and social justice. Under her leadership, Boston Common has built a strong investment record, and meaningfully improved the policies and practices of portfolio companies through impactful, proactive Shareowner Engagement. The firm is a “Best for the World” honoree within the global B Corp community.

In 2016, Geeta was honored by Investment News, as an Innovator whose new ideas and tools have propelled the industry forward. The 2017 UN Global Compact Report on Business Impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) featured Geeta as a leader in the financial sector. Geeta is the recipient of the Joan Bavaria Award at the CERES conference in 2015 for Building Sustainability into the Capital Markets and the SRI Service Award (2013), recognizing leadership and innovation in SRI (Sustainable, Responsible, Impact) investing.

Geeta serves on the Board and Investment Committee of NRDC. She is also on the board of the Better Future Project in Massachusetts. She is co-founder and board chair of DAWN Worldwide, an NGO addressing gender-based violence. Geeta has previously served on the boards of the Sierra Club Foundation, and YW Boston. From 2015-2017, she served on the Board of UN PRI

Before Boston Common, Geeta was President of Walden Asset Management, and has worked at US Trust Company (Boston) and Cambridge Associates. She received her MBA from Harvard Business School; BA (Hons) and MA degrees from the University of Delhi, India. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

BOB LITTERMAN

GOLDMAN SACHS + KEPOS CAPITAL

Bob Litterman is the Chairman of the Risk Committee and a founding partner of Kepos Capital, a New York City based systematic global macro firm. Prior to joining Kepos Capital in 2010, Bob enjoyed a 23-year career at Goldman, Sachs & Co., where he served in research, risk management, investments and thought leadership roles. He oversaw the Quantitative Investment Strategies Group in the Asset Management division. While at Goldman, Bob also spent six years as one of three external advisors to Singapore’s Government Investment Corporation (GIC).

Bob was named a partner of Goldman Sachs in 1994 and became head of the firm-wide risk function; prior to that role, he was co-head of the Fixed Income Research and Model Development Group with Fischer Black. During his tenure at Goldman, Bob researched and published a number of groundbreaking papers in asset allocation and risk management. He is the co-developer of the Black-Litterman Global Asset Allocation Model, a key tool in investment management, and has co-authored books including The Practice of Risk Management and Modern Investment Management: An Equilibrium Approach (Wiley & Co.).

Bob was inducted into Risk Magazine’s Risk Management Hall of Fame and named the 2013 Risk Manager of the Year by the Global Association of Risk Professionals. In 2012, he was the inaugural recipient of the S. Donald Sussman Fellowship at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. In 2008, Bob received the Nicholas Molodovsky Award from the CFA Institute Board as well as the International Association of Financial Engineers/SunGard Financial Engineer of the Year Award. Bob serves on a number of boards, including Common fund, where he was elected Chair in 2014, Options Clearing Corporation, Resources for the Future, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, and the Sloan Foundation. He is also currently serving as the chair of the CFTC Climate-Related Market Risk Subcommittee.

Bob earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in Human Biology from Stanford University.

RADLEY HORTON

LAMONT RESEARCH PROFESSOR

Radley Horton is a Lamont Research Professor at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. His research focuses on climate extremes, tail risks, climate impacts, and adaptation. Radley was a Convening Lead Author for the Third National Climate Assessment. He currently Co-Chairs Columbia’s Adaptation Initiative, and is Principal Investigator for the Columbia University-WWF ADVANCE partnership, and the NOAA-Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments-funded Consortium for Climate Risk in the Urban Northeast. He is also the Columbia University lead for the Department of Interior-funded Northeast Climate Science Center, and is a PI on an NSF-funded Climate Change Education Partnership Project. Radley has been a Co-leader in the development of a global research agenda in support of the United Nations Environmental Program’s Programme on Vulnerability, Impacts, and Adaptation (PROVIA) initiative. He serves on numerous national and international task forces and committees, including the Climate Scenarios Task Force in support of the 2018 National Climate Assessment, and frequently appears on national and international television, radio, and in print. Radley teaches in Columbia University’s Sustainable Development department.

EMILIE MAZZACURATI

FOUR TWENTY SEVEN

As a pioneer of the incorporation of climate science into decision-making in the private and public sectors, Emilie founded Four Twenty Seven in 2012 to help businesses and communities understand the risks from climate change and develop effective resilience strategies.

An expert in climate adaptation and resilience, she is a frequent speaker at international events on climate risks and opportunities, has published extensively on climate policy, and teaches at the University of California, Davis on Business & Climate Change. She served as a member of California’s Technical Advisory Group for the implementation of Governor Brown’s Executive Order on climate change (EO B-30-15) and was Head of Carbon Analysis at Thomson Reuters Point Carbon. Emilie received the Visionary Award from the City of Berkeley, CA in 2016 and was a finalist for the Cartier Women’s Global Initiative for women entrepreneurs in 2014.

MICHAEL KOPKO

IMPACT

Michael is a Vice President at Oscar Health, the leading technology-focused health insurance company. Mike joined Oscar as one of its first employees and currently manages the company’s network contracting systems. Prior to joining Oscar, Michael worked at Bridgewater Associates, as a Manager of Research Analytics where he was responsible for 60 investors, managers, and staff. In 2009, Mike successfully sold DormAid, a college service company, which he launched and ran while he was a student at Harvard and Columbia Business School.

Michael has appeared in major media outlets including Fox News, The New York Times, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, Wired, and MSNBC. He is the recipient of Columbia’s Feldberg Fellowship, a full tuition merit scholarship in honor of former Dean Feldberg and sponsored by Henry Kravis. His mentor of over 10 years is George David of United Technologies.

Mike is a graduate of Columbia Business School and Harvard College.

REKIA FOUDEL

IMPACT

Rekia is an impact investor, climate activist and a passionate speaker about the future of Africa. Rekia started her career in the private sector, working in investment banking at Barclays and JP Morgan and moved to the non-profit world. As head of project development for the government of Niger, she helped raise $437 million dollars for two greenfield development and growth-focused projects, including a Climate Resilient Communities project.

Rekia earned an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A in Political Science from Stony Brook University.